Last updated October 2026
Awarua is a rural area on the low coastal plain south of Invercargill, on the road to Bluff. It is open farmland, wetland edge and communications sites rather than a suburb with a centre. The same name is used for the Awarua Plains and for Awarua Bay, a shallow estuary known for wading birds.
A historic marine radio station still stands beside the Bluff Highway, and a satellite ground station uses the same wide, low horizon that first brought radio here. Most visits are a drive through, a birdwatching stop at the head of the bay, or a look across the plain toward Motupōhue.
Official Locality Facts
- Land area
- 21.85 km²
- Location
- 10.6 km south of central Invercargill
- Council
- Invercargill City Council
- Neighbouring suburbs
- Awarua Plains, Greenhills, Woodend, Omaui
- Getting there
- State Highway 1 (Bluff Highway) between Invercargill and Bluff. Before the bridge over Awarua Bay, Awarua Bay Road turns off toward a parking area at Muddy Creek. The Bluff Branch Railway also runs through the area.
- Nearby landmarks
- Awarua Bay; Awarua Marine Radio Station (private, no public access); Awarua Satellite Ground Station; Bluff Harbour and Motupōhue / Bluff Hill.
About Awarua
Awarua can be driven through on a public highway, but two limits matter straight away. The Awarua Marine Radio Station at 1276 Bluff Highway is a private historic area with no public access. At Awarua Bay, the useful birdwatching involves estuarine mud and knee-deep wading, so it is not a formed path or a swimming beach.
The land is low, flat and often wet. Paddocks, drains and peatland sit beside land that Invercargill City Council’s district plan zones for industry. That Industrial 4 (Awarua) Zone was chosen because the ground is flat and because State Highway 1, the Bluff Branch Railway and the Port of Bluff are close.
Around the zoned land, the wider setting is still the edge of one of New Zealand’s largest remaining coastal wetland systems.
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives Awarua as “two streams”. Te Aka Māori Dictionary also records Awarua as a location name for Bluff Harbour.
The Bluff and Awarua area is associated with Te Rūnaka o Awarua, a Ngāi Tahu papatipu rūnanga. Its marae, Te Rau Aroha, is in Bluff, not out on the plain. The Department of Conservation describes the Awarua-Waituna wetlands as important for cultural values as well as for plants and wildlife.
Awarua Bay is the coastal edge most people come to see. In most years it holds the second highest number of waders in Southland, and a greater number of species than other sites in the region. More than 80 bird species have been recorded.
The saltmarsh and adjoining peatland give cover to threatened birds, including the Australasian bittern (matuku-hūrepo), marsh crake and fernbird. Waders and waterfowl feed on the mudflats. Rare visitors such as Siberian tattler, greenshank and sanderling are recorded from time to time.
Getting Around
There is no local centre in Awarua. Shops, schools and other everyday services are in Invercargill or Bluff. The through-route is the Bluff Highway, which is State Highway 1. Awarua Bay Road is the turn for the head of the bay. Other local roads, including Awarua Siding Road and Colyer Road, serve farms and industrial sites on the plain.
A car is the practical way to stop. The Department of Conservation directs birdwatchers toward the Tiwai Point smelter road from Invercargill, then left onto Awarua Bay Road before the bridge, and on to parking at Muddy Creek.
The historic radio station on the highway is not a stop you can enter. The satellite ground station is a working site, not a visitor attraction.
Getting Outdoors
The outdoors here is estuary, peatland and open plain. The standout public access is the walk around the head of Awarua Bay from the Muddy Creek parking area, about 20 kilometres south of Invercargill. Expect soft mud and some knee-deep wading.
Birds can be seen at any stage of the tide, but the best viewing is over high tide, about one to one and a half hours after high tide at Bluff. During ordinary high tides, waders roost on raised parts of the mudflats. In a severe storm or an extremely high tide they may move onto nearby pasture.
The wider Awarua-Waituna wetland covers about 20,000 hectares of coastal lagoon, freshwater swamp, peatland and estuary. It was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 1976, described by the Department of Conservation as New Zealand’s first Ramsar site, and it is one of five sites in the Arawai Kākāriki restoration programme.
Access across that complex is difficult. Cushion bog and other plant communities can be viewed near the road end at the head of Awarua Bay. Waituna Lagoon, further east, is a separate part of the same system and one of the few mostly intact coastal lagoons left in the country.
Across the wetland, birds include godwits, fernbirds, crakes and bitterns. The Southern New Zealand dotterel breeds on Stewart Island / Rakiura and uses the wetland in autumn and winter.
The waters matter for fish as well as birds: longfin eels, giant kōkopu, īnaka (whitebait), waikōura (freshwater crayfish) and kanakana (lamprey) are part of the system described by the Department of Conservation. Stay on obvious access, watch the tide, and do not treat the mudflats as a beach walk.
History and Heritage
The Awarua Marine Radio Station is a Heritage New Zealand historic area, List No. 7449, entered in 1999. The listing covers the three original station buildings from 1912 and the staff accommodation.
After the Australasian Telegraph Conference in Melbourne in 1909, New Zealand approved two high-powered coastal radio stations: Awanui in Northland and Awarua in Southland. Both opened on 18 December 1913.
Awarua was chosen because the plain was open and there were no nearby hills, which suited the German Telefunken equipment and gave the station a long range. It served naval and merchant shipping until satellite communication made the coast station obsolete. It closed on 30 August 1991.
The district plan asks that buildings and other structures from the radio site be retained where practical, and that view shafts from the Awarua Historic Area toward Stewart Island / Rakiura, Bluff Hill and Ōmaui be kept. Industrial activity and the traffic that comes with it are to be kept out of that historic area.
The same low horizon later drew scientific and space infrastructure. In 2004 Venture Southland set up the Unwin radar for La Trobe University on the old coast radio site, as part of the SuperDARN network measuring the ionosphere toward the South Magnetic Pole.
Work on the Awarua Satellite Ground Station, first called the Awarua Tracking Station, began with the European Space Agency and the French space agency CNES. The station opened in 2007. It is operated by Invercargill-based Space Operations New Zealand and supports spacecraft communications. It is not open for casual visits.
Near Awarua
Just outside Awarua, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Where to Learn More
These pages cover the wetland, how to reach Awarua Bay, and the historic radio station.
Department of Conservation: Awarua-Waituna Wetlands: Access notes for Awarua Bay, why the wetland matters, and what to expect on the ground.
Department of Conservation: About Awarua-Waituna wetlands: Ecosystems, wildlife and the Ramsar status of this coastal wetland system.
Heritage New Zealand: Awarua Marine Radio Station: Listing details, address and the private-access status of the historic area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Awarua part of Invercargill?
Yes. Awarua is a rural area in Invercargill City, on the Bluff Highway south of the urban centre, not a separate town.
What does the name Awarua mean?
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives the translation “two streams”. Te Aka Māori Dictionary also records Awarua as a location name for Bluff Harbour.
Can I visit the Awarua Marine Radio Station?
No. Heritage New Zealand lists it as private, with no public access. It stands at 1276 Bluff Highway, but the buildings and grounds are not open to visitors.
How do I get to Awarua Bay for birdwatching?
From Invercargill, travel toward the Tiwai Point smelter. Before the bridge over Awarua Bay, turn left onto Awarua Bay Road and follow it to parking at Muddy Creek. Walk around the head of the bay and be ready for mud and knee-deep wading. The best viewing is over high tide, about one to one and a half hours after high tide at Bluff.
Is Awarua Bay suitable for swimming?
No. It is an estuary and mudflat used by wading birds. The described access involves soft mud and wading, not a patrolled beach.
Are there shops or schools in Awarua?
Awarua has no town centre, and no local school or shopping strip was confirmed there. Everyday services are in Invercargill or Bluff.
Which rūnanga is associated with the Awarua area?
Te Rūnaka o Awarua, a Ngāi Tahu papatipu rūnanga, is associated with the Bluff and Awarua area. Its marae, Te Rau Aroha, is in Bluff.
Can I walk through the Awarua-Waituna wetlands?
Access into the wider wetland is difficult. The practical public approach is the road end at the head of Awarua Bay, where some cushion bog can be seen and the bay can be walked at the muddy edge. Do not expect a formed track network.
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Explore Invercargill only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Awarua is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.