Hawea (Clio Rocks) Marine Reserve
Hawea marine reserve covers 411 hectares of marine habitat and was one of eight marine reserves established in 2005 as part of the management measures proposed by the Guardians of Fiordland.
New Zealand fur seal swimming in
the Fiordland marine area
Most of the reserve is deep basin habitat, but there are also large areas of sheltered shallow rock wall habitat and deep reef or rock wall habitat.
Underwater mapping of the reserve shows mostly steep rock walls on the shaded western side of the reserve, compared with more broken rocky reefs on the more sun-lit eastern side of the reserve. The near-vertical rock walls of 'Turn Round Point' are a special feature of the reserve, with abundant reef fishes and invertebrates feeding on plankton swept past in the high tidal flow. Black corals are relatively abundant along the rock walls in this area.