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Motueka Island (Pigeon Island)

Coordinates: 36°49′08″S 175°48′04″E / 36.819°S 175.801°E / -36.819; 175.801
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Motueka Island (Pigeon Island)
Native name:
Te Kuraetanga o taku Ihu
Motueka Island seen from the Coromandel Peninsula, adjacent to Poikeke Island to the left
Map
Geography
LocationCoromandel Peninsula
Coordinates36°49′08″S 175°48′04″E / 36.819°S 175.801°E / -36.819; 175.801
Adjacent toPacific Ocean
Area68 m2 (730 sq ft)
Length475 m (1558 ft)
Width205 m (673 ft)
Highest elevation66 m (217 ft)
Administration
New Zealand

Motueka Island, also known by the name Pigeon Island, is an island off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand.

Geography

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The 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

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The 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

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The 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

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  1. ^ a b "Motueka Island (Pigeon Island)". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. ^ 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.