Pōhatu / Flea Bay

Pōhatu / Flea Bay is a bay located approximately 2.7 nautical miles (5.0 km; 3.1 mi) east-northeast of the entrance to Akaroa Harbour in New Zealand.^[2] It is home to the largest penguin colony on Banks Peninsula^[3][4] and the Pōhatu Marine Reserve.^[5] The marine reserve is habitat for many fish species including moki, butterfish, guppy, banded wrasse, blue cod, leather jackets, lobsters, pāua and rockfish.^[6]

Pōhatu / Flea Bay
Bay
Banks Peninsula Track between Pōhatu / Flea Bay and Stony Bay
Coordinates: 43.87449°S 173.01231°E / -43.87449; 173.01231[1]
Formed by	Volcanic, sea and rain action
Volcanic field	Banks Peninsula Volcano

A Kāti Māmoe pā (fortified Māori village) once stood here.^[7] Pōhatu translates as 'place of stones' or 'struck by a stone'.^[2] The bay, shaped by the forces of the sea, rainfall, and the Akaroa volcano, measures approximately 1.08 nautical miles (2.00 km; 1.24 mi) in length and 0.27 nautical miles (0.50 km; 0.31 mi) in width.^[8]

Dyke Head, at the southern entrance to the bay, typifies the coastal landscape of Banks Peninsula, with a protruding reef, offshore rocks and eroded sea stacks.^[8]