Native name: Te Puka Hereka | |
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Location in
New Zealand | |
Geography | |
Location | Fiordland |
Coordinates | 46°7′S 166°38′E / 46.117°S 166.633°E |
Area | 11.63 km2 (4.49 sq mi) [1] |
Highest elevation | 251 m (823 ft) |
Administration | |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Coal Island is an island in Fiordland, at the southwest of New Zealand's South Island. [2] It lies in the entrance to Rakituma / Preservation Inlet, between Puysegur Point and Gulches Head. [3] Its Māori name is Te Puka-Hereka Island, which translates as "The Tied Anchor".
The island is part of Fiordland National Park and is an important conservation site. [4] It was declared pest-free in 2005 and is one of only nine islands in the area that is completely free of introduced mammalian pests. [1] [5] Since 2005, endangered endemic birds such as the Haast kiwi (totoaka) and the Yellowhead (mohua) have been released on the island. [4] [6]