Gannet Island (New Zealand)
Gannet Island (Karewa in Māori) is a small island some 19 kilometres (12 miles) offshore from Kawhia on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island.
| Māori: Karewa | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Gannet Island | |
  Gannet Island Location of Gannet Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Waikato region |
| Coordinates | 37°58′19″S 174°33′58″E |
| Highest elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Description
The island consists of the eroded remnant of a tuff ring, erupted about half a million years ago. It is considerably younger than, and compositionally distinct from, the nearby onshore Alexandra Volcanics (Mount Karioi and Mount Pirongia) and Okete Volcanics. It is located on the eastern edge of the North Taranaki Graben, rising 15 metres (49 ft) above sea level from a base about 65 metres (213 ft) deep.[1] In heavy swells the island can be washed over, so that only about 3 square metres (32 sq ft) has vegetation and that limited to Prasiola (algae), Tortula (moss) and Xanthoria, and Xanthoparmelia lichens.[2]
Gannets
Protected as a wildlife sanctuary,[3] it was found to be the country's largest single breeding colony of Australasian gannets in a 1980 census.[4] Holding about 8000 breeding pairs, the island has been identified as an Important Bird Area, by BirdLife International.[5]
See also
References
- R. M. Briggs, M. D. Rosenberg, P. J. de Lange, T. Itaya, P. R. King and R. C. Price. (1997). Geology and geochemistry of Gannet (Karewa) Island, Tasman Sea: a rift-related nephelinitic tuff ring, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 40, 263–272.
- "Natural Character Study of the Waikato Coastal Environment SECTION E: OUTSTANDING COASTAL NATURAL CHARACTER" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. 2016.
- "Wildlife Sanctuary (Gannet Island) Order 1980". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
- Wodzicki, K .; Robertson, C. J. R.; Thompson, H. R.; and Alderton, C. J. T. (1984). The distribution and numbers of gannets (Sula serrator) in New Zealand. Notornis 31, 232–261.
- BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gannet Island. Downloaded from "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) on 16 February 2012.