Poor Knights Islands
| Poor Knights Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 35 ° 28 ′ S , 174 ° 44 ′ E | |
|
||
| Main island | Tawhiti Rahi Island | |
| Total land area | 2.71 km² | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
The Poor Knights Islands (German for "Poor Knights Islands", Maori after the main island Tawhiti Rahi ) are an uninhabited archipelago just 25 km off the east coast of New Zealand's Northland Peninsula . They belong to the Whangarei District and have a total area of around 2.71 km² or 271 hectares . In addition to the two larger islands of Tawhiti Rahi (151.5 ha) and Aorangi (101 ha), which together cover more than 93 percent of the land area, the group includes several other smaller islands, including Motu Kapiti , Aorangaia and Archway Island .
The islands rise up to 240 m above sea level and are of volcanic origin, which has resulted in a rugged underwater topography with steep walls and submarine cave formations. The rock is around four million years old.
On Christmas Day 1769, Captain James Cook discovered some inhabited islands off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island and named them "The Poor Knights", allegedly because of the silhouette of the two main islands, which reminded of reclining knights or, based on that of Abel Tasman, " Three Kings." “Named New Zealand's northernmost islands. According to another explanation, the islands are said to have been named after their shape, which is said to be reminiscent of the dessert poor knight . There is evidence that Maori settled on the islands until the 19th century . In a dispute with a tribe from Hokianga on the North Island after an incident in 1908, almost all of the island's residents are said to have died in a nightly massacre.
The islands are protected as a nature reserve and may not be entered without a special permit. The sea area up to a distance of 800 m from the coast is also under nature protection, and fishing is prohibited up to a distance of one nautical mile . Nevertheless, the islands are among the most popular diving areas in New Zealand and are visited by diving tourists from Tutukaka . The protected area (mainland and surrounding sea) has an area of 24 km².
The mating of thousands of Pacific short-tailed stingrays (Dasyatis brevicaudata) , which takes place annually in March, is remarkable . There are some spectacular animal and plant species on the islands, including one of the largest living insects, the endemic “Poor Knights Weta” or “Giant Weta ” (Deinacrida fallai) , the primeval bridge lizard or Tuatara and the daylily family Xeronema callistemon, discovered in 1924 .
Web links
- Effects of Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve on demersal fish populations (pdf; 329 kB), Wellington 2003, ISBN 0478225024
- Photos from the Poor Knight Islands
Individual evidence
- ^ Poor Knights Islands history . Archived from the original on May 4, 2013 ; accessed on December 30, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Diving in New Zealand: Poor Knights Island . Archived from the original on February 5, 2007 ; accessed on September 4, 2014 (original website no longer available).
- ^ Entry "Poor Knights Weta" in the IUCN Red List