Clifford Bay
{{Short description|Bay in the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Clifford Bay
| native_name =
| image = Cape Campbell sunrise.jpg
| alt = Aerial view of rugged farmland on a coast. A large lake is in the centre of the image, with the ocean in the bottom and right of the image
| caption = Aerial image of the area around Lake Grassmere / Kapara Te Hau, with Clifford Bay in the lower right of the image.
| image_bathymetry =
| alt_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = Marlborough District, South Island
| group =
| coordinates = {{coord|-41.682|174.215|region:NZ_type:waterbody|display =inline,title}}
| type = Bay
| etymology = Named after Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet
| part_of = Cook Strait
| rivers = Awatere River, Otuwhero River
| catchment =
| basin_countries = New Zealand
| length = {{convert|5|km}}
| width = {{convert|16|km}}
| area =
| depth =
| max-depth =
| volume =
| residence_time =
| salinity =
| shore = {{convert|22|km}}
| temperature_high =
| temperature_low =
| benches =
| pushpin_map = New Zealand
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt = Location map showing Clifford Bay at the top of the South Island
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Clifford Bay in New Zealand
| mapframe = yes
}}
Clifford Bay is a bay in the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand, in the Marlborough Region. It lies between Te Koko-o-Kupe / Cloudy Bay to the northwest, and Cape Campbell to the southeast. The bay's shoreline is dominated by extensive solar salt extraction works at Lake Grassmere / Kapara Te Hau, close to the southern end of the bay. The area has also regularly been explored as a potential location for an interisland ferry terminal connected to Wellington, but this has never progressed to construction.
Inter-island ferry terminal
Since the 1920s, there have been various proposals for an inter-island port and ferry terminal to replace Picton. Plans have never proceeded beyond an investigation stage, often due to the capital costs.
=1990s proposal=
In 1997, the then operator of the Interisland Line, Tranz Rail, proposed a new ferry terminal be built at Clifford Bay.{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/changing-course-for-the-interislander/HZ7W3UPO6Z3LK6YZRHHGNLBS34/|title=Changing course for the Interislander|publisher=New Zealand Herald}}
=2010s proposal=
In May 2011, plans were announced to revisit the development of a port at Clifford Bay, using a mix of private and public funding.{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/4976977/Ferry-setting-sail-for-Clifford-Bay |title=Cook Strait ferry setting sail for Clifford Bay |author=Hartevelt, John |date=9 May 2011 |work=Stuff.co.nz |accessdate=24 September 2011}} Such a port would reduce both sailing time across the Cook Strait from Wellington and the surface distance to Christchurch. It would also allow ferries to operate at higher speeds than they can in the ecologically sensitive Marlborough Sounds and remove the steep grades on the Main North Line between Blenheim and Picton.
While a new port at Clifford Bay would have affected the economy of Picton, there were positive options to refocus Picton as a tourist centre, and the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds.{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4984115/New-port-interest-already |title=New port interest already |author=Butterfield, Tania |date=10 May 2011 |work=The Marlborough Express |accessdate=24 September 2011}}
In November 2013, then-Minister of Transport Gerry Brownlee announced that the Government would not be building a new port at Clifford Bay, putting an end to two years of speculation.{{cite web |title=Ferry terminal at Clifford Bay rejected |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/227686/ferry-terminal-at-clifford-bay-rejected |website=RNZ |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=en-nz |date=14 November 2013}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Clifford Bay, New Zealand}}
{{Marlborough Region|state=collapsed}}