Bluff, New Zealand
Bluff
Motupōhue (Māori) | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Bluff from Stewart Island ferry | |
| Coordinates: 46°36′S 168°20′E / 46.600°S 168.333°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Southland Region |
| City | Invercargill |
| Electorates |
|
| Government | |
| • Regional council | Southland Regional Council |
| • Local authority | Invercargill City Council |
| • Community board | Bluff Community Board |
| • Mayor of Invercargill | Nobby Clark |
| • MPs | |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.14 km2 (3.92 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024) | |
• Total | 1,840 |
| • Density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode(s) | 9814 |
| Area code | 03 |
Bluff (Māori: Motupōhue), previously known as Campbelltown, is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand serving as the main port of Invercargill. It is the southernmost town in mainland New Zealand and, despite Slope Point and Stewart Island being further south, Bluff is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country (particularly in the phrase "from Cape Reinga to The Bluff"). According to the 2018 census, the resident population was 1,797, a decrease of 6 since 2013.
The Bluff area was one of the earliest areas of New Zealand where a European presence became established. The first ship known to have entered the harbour was the Perseverance in 1813, in search of flax trading possibilities, with the first European settlers arriving in 1823 or 1824.
The town was officially called Campbelltown in 1856, became a borough in 1878, and was renamed Bluff in 1917.
Many of the streets in Bluff are named after rivers in Ireland. These include the streets Blackwater, Shannon, Boyne, Liffey, Barrow, Foyle, Slaney, Bann, Suir, Lee, Bandon and Lagan.