Kapiti Island

Kapiti Island
Te Waewae-Kapiti-o-Tara-rāua-ko-Rangitāne
View of Kapiti Island from Pukerua Bay
Kapiti Island is located in New Zealand
Kapiti Island
Kapiti Island
Geography
LocationTasman Sea
Coordinates40°51′18″S 174°54′54″E / 40.85500°S 174.91500°E / -40.85500; 174.91500
Area19.65 km2 (7.59 sq mi)
Length8 km (5 mi)
Width2 km (1.2 mi)
Highest elevation521 m (1709 ft)
Highest pointTūteremoana
Administration
RegionGreater Wellington
Territorial authorityKāpiti Coast District

Kapiti Island ([kɑːpiti]), sometimes written as Kāpiti Island,[1] is an island nature reserve located 5.6 km (3 mi) off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand and within the Kāpiti Coast District. Parts of the island were previously farmed, but it is now a predator-free sanctuary for endemic birds, including many endangered birds. The island is 10 km (6.2 mi) long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly 2 km (1.2 mi) wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of 19.65 km2 (7.59 sq mi).

Topographic map of Kapiti Island

The island is separated from the North Island by the Rauoterangi Channel. The highest point on the island is Tūteremoana, 521 m (1,709 ft).[2] The seaward (west) side of the island is particularly rocky and has high cliffs, some hundreds of metres high, that drop straight into the sea.[2] The cliffs are subject to very strong prevailing westerly winds and the scrubby vegetation that grows there is low and stunted by the harsh environmental conditions. A cross-section of the island would show almost a right-angled triangle, revealing its origins from lying on a fault line (part of the same ridge as the Tararua Range). The island's vegetation is dominated by scrub and forest of kohekohe, tawa, and kanuka. Most of the forest is regenerating after years of burn-offs and farming, but some areas of original bush remain, with 30 m (98 ft) trees.

  1. ^ Kāpiti Coast District Council. "Kāpiti Island". www.kapiticoast.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Prickett, Nigel (1983). "An Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Shore Whaling Industry on Kapiti Island, New Zealand". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 20: 41–63. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906515. Wikidata Q58677530.

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