Perpendicular Point

Perpendicular Point is a small headland on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It lies about 40 km south-south-west of Cape Foulwind, close to the small community of Te Miko. Perpendicular Point was known as Te Miko to Māori. A notorious obstacle to coastal travel, the cliffs had ladders built from rātā vine and harakeke, later replaced by chains and rungs, until a reliable inland road was built in the 1860s.

Perpendicular Point

Perpendicular Point

Location of Perpendicular Point

Charles Heaphy made this sketch of Thomas Brunner ascending Te Miko Cliff in 1846 with his Scotch terrier Rover being raised by a flax rope

Important Bird Area

Spotted shags nest on the cliffs

The point has been identified as an Important Bird Area, by BirdLife International because the coastal cliffs in its vicinity are a breeding site for over 500 pairs of spotted shags.^[1]