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Te Aumiti/French Pass | strait / channel / passage / narrows

New Zealand / Marlborough / Havelock /
 strait / channel / passage / narrows, invisible
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French Pass (Te Aumiti) is a narrow and treacherous stretch of water that separates D'Urville Island, at the north end of the South Island of New Zealand, from the mainland coast. At one end is Tasman Bay, and at the other end the outer Pelorus Sound leads out to Cook Strait.

French Pass has the fastest tidal flows in New Zealand, reaching 8 knots (4 m/s).

The pass is 500 metres (1,600 ft) across, but the main navigation channel (the “throat” or “narrows”) contracts down to only 100 metres (330 ft) with a 20-metre (66 ft) deep shoaling region. Most of the rest of the pass is broken reef.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   40°55'19"S   173°50'7"E
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This article was last modified 4 years ago