Geography And Geology

The region chosen for intensive study was Taylor's Mistake, a small bay on the northern side of Banks Peninsula to the west of the entrance to Lyttelton Harbour (Fig.1). In the centre of the bay, which faces north-east, there is a sandy beach about 250 yards long. On either side there is a rocky sh [ unclear: ] re of varied nature with bands of smooth, black basalt alternating with very pitted, vesicular, feldspar basalts. In restricted localities there are bands of reddish weathered scoria.

The different types and layers of rocks at Taylor's Mistake have weathered differentially into jagged reefs and ledges. The angle of slope varies from the horizontal to the vertical. In some areas the intertidal zone is covered by rocks and boulders of varying size. On either side and in the centre of the bay the rock merges into sand at low water; but further out there are steep cliffs descending into the infralittoral.