Motukokako Island

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Motukokako Island
( Piercy Island )
Motukokako Island
Motukokako Island
Waters Pacific Ocean
Geographical location 35 ° 9 '54 "  S , 174 ° 20' 23"  O Coordinates: 35 ° 9 '54 "  S , 174 ° 20' 23"  O
Motukokako Island (New Zealand)
Motukokako Island
length 405 m
width 257 m
surface 6.9 ha
Highest elevation 152  m
Residents uninhabited
The Hole in the Rock from Motukokako Island
The Hole in the Rock from Motukokako Island

Motukokako Island ( Piercy Island ), called in Māori Motu Kōkako , is a small rocky island on the east coast of the Northland regionon the North Island of New Zealand .

Origin of name

Motu Kōkako means in the Māori language "Island of Kōkako " ( ragged crow ). The island received the Europeanized name Piercy Island from the British navigator and explorer Captain James Cook . Among the tourists, the island is better known as " The Hole in the Rock " ( The Hole in the Rock ).

geography

The uninhabited 6.9 hectare island is located 22 km northeast of Russell at the eastern end of the Bay of Islands , a few hundred meters off the tip of Cape Brett . With a height of 152  m , a length of 405 m and a maximum width of 257 m , it protrudes decisively from the coastal waters. Adjacent to the south is the narrow, around 150 m long island of Tiheru Island and Otuwhanga Island is only 565 m to the southwest, directly in front of the headland of Cape Brett .

Administratively, Motukokako Island belongs to the Far North District .

geology

The base of the island consists essentially of greywacke and slate , which were formed between the Permian and Jurassic . Their layers are discordantly overlaid by limestone formed in the Oligocene . The northern end of the island is interspersed with calcium silicate and quartz veins mineralized by zinc and lead .

While the surface of the rocky island gradually drops to the north, the flanks are steep in all other directions and in some cases drop off steeply up to 100 m. On the south side of the island, a large hole has formed in the rock due to erosion, which allows smaller ships to pass through.

Flora and fauna

The island is free of rats and overgrown with Tawapou trees ( Pouteria costata ) on its slope to the north . The diversity of vegetation is remarkable, so researchers were able to find over a hundred different plant species. Two different species of petrels nest on the island, Pterodroma macroptera and Pterodroma nigripennis, and two species of lizards have been found, Leiolopisma smithi and Hoplodactylus pacificus , and a species of snail, Rhytida dunniae .

tourism

The " The Hole in the Rock " has become a popular tourist destination to which boat trips from Paihia and Russell are organized from. When the sea is calm and the tide is good, boats can pass through the opening in the rock.

Trivia

The island was featured on a 40 cent postage stamp by the New Zealand Post in 1996 .

literature

  • RL Brathwaite, MJ Isaac, GA Challis, FJ Brook : Tertiary limestone and Zn-Pb mineralized skarn at Motukokako , Cape Brett, Northern New Zealand . In: Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand . Volume 20, Number 4 , December 1990, pp. 427–438 , doi : 10.1080 / 03036758.1990.10426721 (English, online [PDF; 2,3 MB ; accessed on May 9, 2018]).
  • EK Cameron, GA Taylor : Flora and Fauna of Motukokako ( Piercy Island ), Cape Brett, Northern New Zealand . In: Tane . Volume 33 , 1991, pp. 121–141 (English, online [PDF; 7.5 MB ; accessed on May 9, 2018]).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed May 9, 2018 .
  2. ^ Chris Hyde : World famous in New Zealand: The hole in the rock, Bay of Islands . In: Stuff . Fairfax Media , August 6, 2017, accessed May 9, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Cameron, Taylor : Title = Flora and Fauna of Motukokako ( Piercy Island ), Cape Brett, Northern New Zealand . In: Tane . 1991, p.  123 .
  4. ↑ a b Coordinates and longitudes were determined using Goggle Earth Pro Version 7.3.1.4507 on May 9, 2018
  5. ^ Brathwaite, Isaac, Challis, Brook : Tertiary limestone and Zn-Pb mineralized skarn at Motukokako , Cape Brett, Northern New Zealand . In: Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 1990, p.  427 .
  6. ↑ Cameron, Taylor : Title = Flora and Fauna of Motukokako ( Piercy Island ), Cape Brett, Northern New Zealand . In: Tane . 1991, p.  121 .
  7. ↑ 1996 Self-adhesive Scenic Definitives . New Zealand Post , May 1, 1996, accessed May 9, 2018 .