Leask Bay Explained

Leask Bay is a small bay on Stewart Island, east of Oban in New Zealand.

History

European settlement of Leask Bay began in the 1840s and 1850s, before Halfmoon Bay became the main point of settlement.^[1]

Leask Bay
Coordinates:	-46.898°N 168.145°W
Location:	Stewart Island

Leask Family

Leask Bay has been occupied by the Leask family for six or seven generations, after emigrating to Stewart Island from Orkney.^{[2] [3]} The Leasks were involved in the early construction of Stewart Island infrastructure: in 1897 Thomas and James Leask built the road from Oban to Harrold Bay. The Leasks were some of the original boat builders of Stewart Island, and current descendants are still involved in the fishing industry.^[4]

Natural environment

In 1933, the skull of the first recorded Shepherd's beaked whale was stored at Leask Bay, before being taken to Southland Museum.^[5]

In a 1953 publication, it was noted that Leask Bay was an outlier on Stewart Island as it hosted exotic trees when the rest of the Island has only native trees.^[6]

In the 1980s, an oil seep was discovered in Leask Bay. It is hypothesised that the oil naturally migrated from the Great South Basin into a shallow basin margin in Leask Bay.^{[7] [8]}

Kiore, largely not found on the New Zealand mainland, have been found at Leask Bay.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Book: Sansom, Olga . In the grip of an island : early Stewart Island history . 2006 . Cadsonbury . 1-877346-14-4 . Invercargill, N.Z. . 156630934.
2. Web site: Hindmarsh . Gerard . 9 July 2021 . Stewart Island/Rakiura: Wonders of the Third Island . 16 April 2023 . Stuff . en.
3. Web site: hindmarsh . gerard . 3 December 2012 . Stewart Island for beginners . 16 April 2023 . Stuff . en.
4. Web site: Toa Hunter Gatherer, Series 4 Episode 4 . 16 April 2023 . Māori Television . en.
5. Web site: Esler . Lloyd . 29 November 2017 . Whale species discovery at Mason Bay, 1933 . 16 April 2023 . Stuff . en.
6. Usher . George A. . 1953 . Flora and Fauna on Stewart Island, New Zealand . Oryx . en . 2 . 3 . 181–186 . 10.1017/S003060530003622X . 1365-3008. free .
7. Cook . Richard . 1982 . An oil seep at Leask Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand . New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics . 25 . 115–119.
8. Web site: Killops . S. D. . Cook . R. A. . Sykes . R. . Petroleum potential and oil‐source correlation in the Great South and Canterbury Basins . 14 April 2023 . www.tandfonline.com . en . 10.1080/00288306.1997.9514773?needaccess=true&role=button.
9. Taylor . R. H. . 1 December 1975 . What limits kiore (Rattus exulans) distribution in New Zealand? . New Zealand Journal of Zoology . 2 . 4 . 473–477 . 10.1080/03014223.1975.9517888 . 0301-4223.