Quail Island (New Zealand)
| Quail Island (New Zealand) | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 43 ° 38 ′ S , 172 ° 41 ′ E | |
|
||
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Quail Island ( Māori , Ōtamahua , sometimes also Te Kawakawa ) is a small, uninhabited island in the south of the bay off Lyttelton near Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand .
It received its English name by Captain My Smith , who here in 1842 domestic quail (English Quail ) observed. However, these were already exterminated in 1875. In the Māori language , 'Ōtamahua' means "a place where children collect eggs from seabirds." 'Te Kawakawa' refers to the island's pepper trees .
history
Although the island was apparently not permanently inhabited by the Māori, it was often visited to collect clams, New Zealanders flax, and bird eggs. On King Billy Island , a rocky outcrop off Quail Island, they quarried stone for making tools.
The Europeans used it briefly for agricultural purposes in 1851, after which it became a quarantine station in 1875 , in 1907 it served as a hospital during the flu epidemic , after which it was a small leper colony from 1907 to 1925 .
Replicas of kennels used to train dogs for Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century and a replica hut for the lepers were built by Cathedral College students , and the quarantine barracks were restored and rebuilt closer to the coast. The island was protected as a recreation area in 1975 and has some safe bathing coasts, toilets and shelters. A ferry runs to the island, and access by private watercraft is also permitted.
The Ōtamahua / Quail Island Ecological Restoration Trust and the Department of Conservation are working to rid the island of introduced species, to repopulate it with plants and finally to reintroduce the native fauna.
swell
- ↑ a b c Ōtamahua / Quail Island (PDF; 751 kB) on the website of the Department of Conservation
- ↑ Otamahua (Christchurch City Library website)
- ↑ Ōtumahua / Quail Island Restoration Trust on the website of the Department of Conservation