Big Lagoon (New Zealand)
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Big Lagoon, sometimes known as Te Whanganui (both unofficial) is a lagoon beside Cloudy Bay in Marlborough, New Zealand. It outflows into the Pacific Ocean.[1] It is approximately 800 hectares and is part of the Wairau Lagoon, which is connected to Upper Lagoon and Chandlers Lagoon.[2] Several islands are within the lagoon or the connected waterways, the biggest of which is Budges Island to the northwest.
| Big Lagoon | |
|---|---|
.png)  Big Lagoon | |
| Location | Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41.545°S 174.101°E |
| Type | Lagoon |
| Pacific Ocean | |
Surface area | 800 hectares (8.0 km2) |
There used to be a canal known as Ōrua or previously Morgan Creek which went from Ōpawa River to Big Lagoon.[3] Big Lagoon was previously a wildlife refuge, but this has been lifted and people are now permitted to hunt over the lagoon.[4]
Big Lagoon has beds of Ruppia, Chara and Nitella.[2]
Big Lagoon is in the plate boundary between the Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate. This means that Big Lagoon occasionally experiences strong earthquakes, which may cause liquefaction.[5] Sediment core samples have been taken from the lagoon to study earthquakes from the Hikurangi Margin.[6]