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Ōrore / All day Bay
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Ancient history
The Mt Harris Formation is exposed at this site. You can see it in the bank where the All Day Bay lagoon outlet meets the beach. This formation is dark, silty and muddy in appearance. Exposures of the Mt Harris Formation can be found in the cliffs along his stretch of coastline. It was deposited in the Early Miocene around 20 million years ago. At this time, this part of Te Riu-a-Māui/ Zealandia (the continent New Zealand is part of) was still under the sea. Changes in tectonic plate movement around 25 million years ago eventually resulted in Zealandia beginning to emerge from the sea.
The All Day Bay Lagoon
Across the road is a small coastal lagoon (11 hectares) which provides an environment for both waterfowl and wading birds. It is known to be a habitat for shoveller and grey duck, grey teal, oystercatcher, pied stilt, black stilt and is also visited by wading birds like the Royal Spoonbill and White Heron.
Welcome to Ōrore Point
Ōrore was traditionally a kāika mahika kai (food-gathering place) where tuna (eels), waterfowl, and īnaka (whitebait) were gathered. It continues to be treasured by Kāi Tahu whānui for its provision of tuna, īnaka, shellfish and fish. In the wetlands that once dominated this area, are the archaeological remains of large settlements of some of the earliest people to live in Te Waipounamu (South Island). These places provide evidence of the lifestyles of the early Eastern Polynesian ancestors of Kāi Tahu Whānui (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha). This includes remains of Moa that were killed and carried back to the settlements to be butchered, cooked and eaten.
This map shows a reconstruction of New Zealand's landmass when the Mt Harris Formation was deposited. © GNS Science
Pied Stilt
Kāi Tahu whānau are carrying on the food gathering traditions.
Fast facts
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Fossils such as molluscs and whale bones have been recovered from the Mt Harris Formation within the Geopark.
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Rock pools at the southern end of the bay make for interesting exploration.
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Ōrore is the name of the wider area and is a kāika mahika kai.
Please be aware the following hazards include: tides, wildlife, sharp and slippery rock underfoot, and falling debris from cliffs. Tsunami risk – if an earthquake is strong or long, get gone.
Latitude: -45:12:34.430
Longitude: 170:53:05.929
Easy walk
5 min
200m
Scenic views & Photo opportunities
Public Toilets
GETTING THERE
To get to All Day Bay, take Waiankarua Rd out of Kakanui and after crossing the bridge, follow the Rd for 4km. There is parking available.
Kaitiakitanga
Protection and guardianship are at the heart of the Geopark philosophy. We ask you to treat this site with respect, do not remove anything from this site and preserve it for our future generations.
When collecting pāua at this site, please be aware that there are size and catch limits in place. Please help protect this precious resource by doing some simple thinsg:
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measure pāua underwater
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return undersized pāua as you found them
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never use sharp objects when removing pāua from rocks or reefs
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keep pāua in seawater and out of the sun