Motueka Island (Pigeon Island)

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
Geography
Location	Coromandel Peninsula
Coordinates	36°49′08″S 175°48′04″E
Adjacent to	Pacific Ocean
Area	68 m^2 (730 sq ft)
Length	475 m (1558 ft)
Width	205 m (673 ft)
Highest elevation	66 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

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

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

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

1. "Motueka Island (Pigeon Island)". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
2. 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". Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum. 56: 39–62. doi:10.32912/RAM.2022.56.3. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 48687532. Wikidata Q113953864.