Foreshore and seabed

Foreshore and seabed

The areas meant by the legal definitions of foreshore and seabed are marked on this photograph of Castlepoint, Wairarapa. The seabed is land covered by sea water, while in New Zealand the foreshore is the land between the high and low water marks at mean spring tides. The marking is approximate since the exact determination of mean high water spring tide requires exact observations over an 18.6-year tidal cycle.