🌊 Waimea Inlet

Waimea Inlet is the largest estuary in the South Island of New Zealand, covering about 3,455 hectares at the southern end of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. Shallow and bar-built, it lies behind Rabbit Island and contains 10 islands. The inlet is regarded as an area of outstanding biological value and is nationally important for wading birds, but its margins have been heavily modified since European settlement, with about 200 hectares lost to reclamation.