Last updated October 2026
Awarua Plains is a rural locality in Invercargill City, on the low country south of the city toward Bluff and Awarua Bay. It is farmland and remnant wetland rather than a residential suburb, with a wide horizon, shelter belts and few buildings.
The name Awarua is translated by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage as two streams, and the wetland here was formerly known as Seaward Moss.
Parts of the plain were drained for farming, while large areas remain in conservation as part of one of New Zealand’s most important wetland complexes. The same flat ground later became a site for coast radio and, more recently, satellite communications.
Practical Information
- Getting there
- By road on Bluff Road (State Highway 1) south from Invercargill toward Bluff. Local roads include Colyer Road, Awarua Siding Road and Awarua Bay Road. Plan to travel by car; there is no town centre.
- Nearby landmarks
- Awarua Satellite Ground Station (Colyer Road); Awarua Bay and the Awarua-Waituna Wetlands; historic Awarua Marine Radio Station (no public access); Woodend Hall Reserve, just off Bluff Road.
About Awarua Plains
Awarua Plains sits on the coastal plain between Invercargill and Foveaux Strait. The wider Awarua Plain runs east of Bluff along the south coast, taking in Awarua Bay, Tiwai Point, Waituna Lagoon and Toetoes Bay. This page is about the Invercargill City locality, not that whole stretch of country.
The ground is low and open. Council records describe associated recreation reserves as bounded by farmland, and the satellite ground station was chosen because the surrounding land is flat and the horizon is low.
Ngāi Tahu are tangata whenua in this part of Murihiku. The Department of Conservation’s Southland Murihiku Conservation Management Strategy records that the takiwā of Te Rūnanga o Awarua centres on Awarua and extends to the coasts and estuaries adjoining Waihopai, with shared interests held with other Murihiku rūnanga.
The wetlands are valued for cultural reasons as well as for plants, birds and peatland. Invercargill City Council also engages with mana whenua on work in this area, including investigation of an alternate city water supply.
Invercargill City Council’s history of Seaward Bush notes that south of that forest lay the Awarua Plains wetland, then known as Seaward Moss. Settlers later drained parts of the moss for pasture, and Engineering New Zealand records that land at the old radio station was drained and farmed in the 1950s.
What remains is a mix of working farms, conservation wetland and a small number of specialist sites. It is not a place with a shopping street or a cluster of houses around a square.
Day to day, the locality is quiet rural Southland: shelter belts, drains, gravel roads and a big sky. Two uses stand out from the farmland. Space Operations New Zealand runs the Awarua Satellite Ground Station at 721 and 781 Colyer Road, a facility that has been operating since 2008.
Council is also testing an underground aquifer in the Awarua Siding Road and Colyer Road area as a possible emergency water source for Invercargill and Bluff. The city’s everyday supply would still come from the Ōreti River at Branxholme. Neither site is set up as a visitor attraction.
Getting Around
Bluff Road is the practical spine of the locality. It is the State Highway 1 link between Invercargill and Bluff, and side roads leave it for farms, the ground station and the head of Awarua Bay.
Woodend Hall Reserve, which council lists as an Awarua Plains recreation reserve, is reached by vehicle from Somerville Street, with on-site parking. Public access to that reserve is not available from Blyth Street.
There is no local centre to walk to, and distances are rural. Anyone without a car should check current public transport before setting out, because services through this country are limited.
The historic radio station is on a private road and is not open to the public. The satellite dishes on Colyer Road can be seen from the surrounding roads, but the station itself is a working site, not a lookout or museum.
History and Heritage
The open plain was chosen for wireless because there were no nearby hills to block the signal. German Telefunken engineers settled on a site of about 100 acres between Invercargill and Bluff.
Awarua Radio Station opened for service on 18 December 1913 as a high-power coast station, with the callsign VLB and later ZLB. It kept contact with ships, including whaling ships and Antarctic traffic, and for a time handled radio for Scott Base. The original 125 metre mast was taken down in 1938 as short-wave equipment replaced the early spark transmitter.
The station closed on 30 August 1991, with operations moved to remote control from Wellington. Heritage New Zealand lists the Awarua Marine Radio Station as a historic area (List no. 7449). Engineering New Zealand is clear that there is no public access to the site.
The story of the station is told instead at the Awarua Communications Museum. The later satellite ground station reused the same kind of advantage: a low horizon, distance from built-up interference, and room for aerials on flat farmland.
Getting Outdoors
The outdoors here is wetland and estuary, not a formed park network. The Department of Conservation describes the Awarua-Waituna Wetlands as one of the largest remaining wetland complexes in New Zealand, important for biological diversity and cultural values. The complex includes coastal lagoon, freshwater swamp, peatland and estuary.
Waituna Lagoon and about 20,000 hectares of surrounding wetland were among the first places in New Zealand recognised as a wetland of international importance. Awarua Bay is a notable roost and feeding site for wading birds, including migratory species.
Access is difficult. DOC says some cushion bog can be viewed near the road end at the head of Awarua Bay, about 20 kilometres south of Invercargill. For birdwatching, travel toward the Tiwai smelter, and before the bridge over Awarua Bay turn left onto Awarua Bay Road to the parking area at Muddy Creek.
Reaching feeding areas means walking around the head of the bay, with knee-deep wading and estuarine mud in places. Viewing is best over high tide, about 1 to 1.5 hours after the Bluff tide. Weather changes quickly in any season, so take windproof and waterproof clothing.
Peatland is not a place to wander off the known edge. The surface can give way, and fires are not permitted at Awarua Bay, the Waituna wetland or the Waituna coast. Wetland vegetation burns readily, and past fires have taken decades to recover from.
Leave trip intentions with someone reliable. Closer to the road, Woodend Hall Reserve has a hall, tennis courts and a grassed area used for casual sport. It is a local recreation ground, not a gateway into the peatland.
Where to Learn More
Department of Conservation: Awarua-Waituna Wetlands: access notes, birdwatching advice and safety warnings for Awarua Bay and Waituna.
Engineering New Zealand: Awarua Radio Station: history of the coast radio station, its closure, and the note that the site is closed to the public.
Invercargill City Council: rural reserves: location and access details for the Awarua Plains recreation reserves, including Woodend Hall Reserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Awarua Plains part of Invercargill?
Yes. It is a rural locality in Invercargill City, on the country south of the urban area toward Bluff and Awarua Bay. The wider geographic plain continues beyond this locality.
What does the name Awarua mean?
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives the translation two streams. The wetland on this plain was formerly known as Seaward Moss.
Is there a town centre or local shops?
No. Awarua Plains is farmland, wetland and a few specialist sites. Day-to-day shopping is in Invercargill or Bluff.
Can I visit the old radio station?
No. Engineering New Zealand states there is no public access. The Awarua Communications Museum covers the station’s history, and Heritage New Zealand lists the station as a historic area.
What is the satellite station on Colyer Road?
It is the Awarua Satellite Ground Station at 721 and 781 Colyer Road, operating since 2008. It is a working communications site, not a public lookout or visitor centre.
Can I walk in the wetlands?
Only with care, and not as a formed track walk. DOC advises that access is difficult. Birdwatching at the head of Awarua Bay can mean knee-deep mud, and peatland surfaces can give way. Do not light fires.
Are there schools in the locality?
A school operating inside Awarua Plains could not be confirmed. Families should check the Ministry of Education directory for the nearest schools and enrolment zones in Invercargill and Bluff.
Who should I contact about cultural values here?
Ngāi Tahu are tangata whenua, and the takiwā of Te Rūnanga o Awarua centres on Awarua. Other Murihiku rūnanga, including Waihopai Rūnaka, also have interests in the adjoining coasts and estuaries. For council projects, Invercargill City Council engages with mana whenua.
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