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Kōrero: West Coast places

Kōtuku oil seep

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Kōtuku oil seep

Oil and gas naturally rise to the land’s surface when they can find an escape route. At Kōtuku there appears to be a subterranean fault, which has allowed the oil to escape to the surface, forming one of New Zealand’s largest oil seeps. The area has been prospected and drilled for over a century, without finding commercial quantities of oil.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Private collection

by Simon Nathan

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Simon Nathan, West Coast places – Grey Valley, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/20996/kotuku-oil-seep (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Simon Nathan, i tāngia i te 3 March 2009.