Native name: Te Kuraetanga o taku Ihu | |
---|---|
| |
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 |
Motueka Island, also known by the name Pigeon Island, is an island off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand.
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]
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]
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]