Motueka Island, also known by the name Pigeon Island, is an island off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand.
Native name: Te Kuraetanga o taku Ihu | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Motueka Island seen from the Coromandel Peninsula, adjacent to Poikeke Island to the left | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Coromandel Peninsula |
| Coordinates | 36°49′08″S 175°48′04″E / 36.819°S 175.801°E |
| Adjacent to | Pacific Ocean |
| Area | 68 m2 (730 sq ft) |
| Length | 475 m (1558 ft) |
| Width | 205 m (673 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
Geography
editThe island is located 1.5 kilometres north-east of Cathedral Cove,[1] to the east of Mercury Bay. It is tidally linked to Poikeke Island, a smaller island located to the west.[2] The island reaches a height of 66 metres (217 ft).[1] Motueka Island is within the Te Whanganui-A-Hei (Cathedral Cove) Marine Reserve.[2]
Motueka Island is an eroded Miocene era lava dome, composed of flow-banded rhyolite.[2]
Biodiversity
editThe island is primarily forested by native New Zealand flora, including kohekohe, karaka, māhoe, whārangi, tawāpou, pūriri and parapara. The summit area is a plateau, forested by large pōhutukawa trees.[2]
The island is a nesting place for Pterodroma gouldi (ōi / the grey-faced petrel). Several hundred birds nest on the island, despite the presence of Norway rats.[2]
History
editThe island is historically significant to Ngāti Hei, who are the mana whenua iwi for Mouteka Island.[2] It was given the traditional name Te Kuraetanga o taku Ihu, named by the rangatira Hei, who likened the island to his tā moko.[2] During the early European colonial period, the island gained the name Pigeon Island.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Motueka Island (Pigeon Island)". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cameron, Ewen K.; Bellingham, Peter J.; Taylor, Graeme A.; Tennyson, Alan J. D.; Davis, Joseph J. (2022). "Vegetation, vascular flora, and fauna of Motueka and Poikeke Islands, eastern Coromandel Peninsula, northeast New Zealand". Records of the Auckland Museum. 56: 39–62. doi:10.32912/RAM.2022.56.3. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 48687532. Wikidata Q113953864.