Aramoana

Aramoana (In Maori: path to the sea) is known by locals as “The Spit”. It is a coastal town in the South Island of New Zealand with 261 inhabitants (2001).

Aramoana is located on a sand dune spit at the mouth of the Bay of Otago, from the end of the Otago Peninsula. It is in the Administrative Region of Otago, about 27km north of the regional capital, Dunedin.

History

The town developed in the 1880s as a pilot station for the navigation of vessels in Otago Bay and quickly developed into a small village. In the 1950s because of its quiet, rural character and its beautiful beach, Aramoana is now protected 1,200m into the sea.

In 1974, the Save Aramoana Campaign was launched to prevent the planned construction by the Government of an aluminum melt. The building is still a moot point. Inseparable from the site is the Aramoana massacre in November 1990, the deadliest shooting in the history of New Zealand, where a man shot and killed after a dispute between neighbors, 13 residents who were barricaded in a house.

After the whole place was cordoned off, special police units had to search almost every single house to evacuate remaining residents and to find the suspect, who was later killed in a shootout.

Recreation and Leisure

North of the pier runs the “Beach Aramoana”, or “Big Beach” called. It is a 2km long white sand beach, flanked by volcanic rocks. Southeast of the pier, runs another white sandy beach along the entire spit out into the bay, this is called Shelley Beach. The beaches and water are frequented by swimmers, divers and surfers, the rocks at Big Beach are also used by climbers.