1.
Auckland
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Auckland is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the most populous area in the country. Auckland has a population of 1,495,000, which constitutes 32 percent of New Zealands population, a diverse and multicultural city, Auckland is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. It has also been called Ākarana, the Māori pronunciation of Auckland, the Auckland urban area ranges to Waiwera in the north, Kumeu in the northwest, and Runciman in the south. It is not contiguous, the section from Waiwera to Whangaparāoa Peninsula is separate from its nearest neighbouring suburb of Long Bay, the surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with dozens of dormant volcanic cones. The central part of the area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two major bodies of water. The isthmus on which Auckland resides was first settled around 1350 and was valued for its rich, Māori population in the area is estimated to have peaked at 20,000 before the arrival of Europeans. After a British colony was established in 1840, the new Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson and he named the area Auckland for George Eden, Earl of Auckland, British First Lord of the Admiralty. It was replaced as the capital in 1865, but immigration to the new city stayed strong, today, Aucklands Central Business District is the major financial centre of New Zealand. Auckland is classified as a Beta World City because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, education and tourism. Aucklands landmarks such as the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Harbour Bridge, the Sky Tower, the isthmus was settled by Māori around 1350, and was valued for its rich and fertile land. Many pā were created, mainly on the volcanic peaks, Māori population in the area is estimated to have been about 20,000 people before the arrival of Europeans. As a result, the region had relatively low numbers of Māori when European settlement of New Zealand began, there is, however, nothing to suggest that this was the result of a deliberate European policy. Auckland was officially declared New Zealands capital in 1841 and the transfer of the administration from Russell in the Bay of Islands was completed in 1842. However, even in 1840 Port Nicholson was seen as a choice for an administrative capital because of its proximity to the South Island. After losing its status as capital, Auckland remained the city of the Auckland Province until the provincial system was abolished in 1876. Each of the four settlements had about 800 settlers, the men being fully armed in case of emergency but spent nearly all their time breaking in the land and establishing roads
2.
Coromandel Peninsula
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It is 40 kilometres wide at its broadest point. Almost the entire population lies on the narrow coastal strips fronting the Hauraki Gulf, in fine weather the peninsula is clearly visible from Auckland, the countrys biggest city, which lies on the far shore of the Hauraki Gulf,55 kilometres to the west. The peninsula is part of the government areas of Thames-Coromandel District. The peninsula is steep and hilly, and is covered in temperate rainforest. Great Barrier is separated from Cape Colville on the northern coast by the Colville Channel. A forest park covers much of the peninsulas interior, the peninsula shows considerable signs of past volcanism. It comprises the eroded remnants of the Coromandel Volcanic Zone, which was active during the Miocene and Pliocene periods. Volcanic activity has since primarily shifted southeast to the Taupo Volcanic Zone, geothermal activity is still present on the Peninsula, with hot springs in several places, notably at Hot Water Beach, in the central east coast between Whitianga and Tairua. Owing to the nature of the land, much of the Coromandels population clusters in a number of towns. Only five towns on the peninsula have populations of over 1000, several small towns dot the coast of the Firth of Thames in the southwest. Other small towns on the peninsula include Te Puru, Matarangi, Whangapoua, Whiritoa, Hikuai, Port Jackson, Port Charles, Tairua, Pauanui, the population of several of these centres is highly seasonal, with many Aucklanders having holiday homes in the Coromandel. The peninsula has become a place to live for those who have chosen an alternative lifestyle. As of 2010, increasing numbers of affluent Aucklanders have started moving to the Coromandel, the population density decreases with both distance from the coast and distance north. Of the main centres, only Coromandel, Colville, Matarangi and Whitianga lie in the north of the peninsula. The area was known largely for its hardrock gold mining and kauri industries. A forest park occupies much of the centre of the peninsula, the Moehau Ranges even have an imagined monster, the Hairy Moehau. Evidence of the regions geothermal origins can be found in hot springs, the town of Whangamata is a popular holiday retreat, and Whitianga on Mercury Bay is renowned for its yachting. The peninsulas waters are also a destination for scuba divers
3.
Terra (satellite)
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Terra is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth. It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System, the name Terra comes from the Latin word for Earth. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 18,1999, aboard an Atlas IIAS vehicle and it was placed into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705km, with a 10, 30am descending node. Studies have used instruments on Terra to examine trends in global carbon monoxide, the data collected by Terra will ultimately become a new, 15-year global data set. In June and October 2008 the spacecraft was targeted by hackers who gained unauthorized access to its command and control systems, aqua Aura Man-made structures visible from space NASA Terra site
4.
Coast
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A coastline or a seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean, or a line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the Coastline paradox, the term coastal zone is a region where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs. Both the terms coast and coastal are often used to describe a location or region, for example, New Zealands West Coast. Edinburgh for example is a city on the coast of Scotland, a pelagic coast refers to a coast which fronts the open ocean, as opposed to a more sheltered coast in a gulf or bay. A shore, on the hand, can refer to parts of the land which adjoin any large body of water, including oceans. Similarly, the related term refers to the land alongside or sloping down to a river or to a body of water smaller than a lake. Bank is also used in parts of the world to refer to an artificial ridge of earth intended to retain the water of a river or pond. According to the UN atlas, 44% of people live within 150 kilometres of the sea, tides often determine the range over which sediment is deposited or eroded. Areas with high tidal ranges allow waves to reach farther up the shore, the tidal range is influenced by the size and shape of the coastline. Tides do not typically cause erosion by themselves, however, tidal bores can erode as the waves surge up river estuaries from the ocean. Waves erode coastline as they break on shore releasing their energy, the larger the wave the more energy it releases and the more sediment it moves. Coastlines with longer shores have more room for the waves to disperse their energy, while coasts with cliffs and short shore faces give little room for the wave energy to be dispersed. In these areas the wave energy breaking against the cliffs is higher, sediment deposited by waves comes from eroded cliff faces and is moved along the coastline by the waves. This forms an abrasion or cliffed coast, sediment deposited by rivers is the dominant influence on the amount of sediment located on a coastline. Today riverine deposition at the coast is often blocked by dams and other human regulatory devices, like the ocean which shapes them, coasts are a dynamic environment with constant change. The coast and its adjacent areas on and off shore are an important part of a local ecosystem, Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity of plants, animals and insects crucial to the food chain. The high level of biodiversity creates a level of biological activity. More and more of the people live in coastal regions
5.
North Island
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The North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the slightly larger but much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The islands area is 113,729 square kilometres, making it the worlds 14th-largest island and it has a population of 3,596,200. Twelve main urban areas are in the North Island, about 77% of New Zealands population lives in the North Island. Although the island has been known as the North Island for many years, in 2009 the New Zealand Geographic Board found that, along with the South Island, after a public consultation, the board officially named the island North Island or Te Ika-a-Maui in October 2013. In prose, the two islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island, with the definite articles. It is normal to use the preposition in rather than on, for example Hamilton is in the North Island, maps, headings, tables and adjectival expressions use North Island without the. According to Māori mythology, the North and South Islands of New Zealand arose through the actions of the demigod Māui, Māui and his brothers were fishing from their canoe when he caught a great fish and pulled it from the sea. While he was not looking his brothers fought over the fish and this great fish became the North Island and thus a Māori name for the North Island is Te Ika-a-Māui. The mountains and valleys are believed to have formed as a result of Māuis brothers hacking at the fish. Until the early 20th Century, an alternative Māori name for the North Island was Aotearoa, in present usage, Aotearoa is a collective name for New Zealand as a whole. The sub-national GDP of the North Island was estimated at US$102.863 billion in 2003, the island has an extensive flora and bird population, with numerous National Parks and other protected areas. Nine local government regions cover the North Island and all its adjacent islands, healthcare in the North Island is provided by fifteen District Health Boards. Organised around geographical areas of varying sizes, they are not coterminous with the Local Government Regions
6.
Auckland Region
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The Auckland Region is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the countrys largest urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, with 34 percent of the nations residents, it has by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area. On 1 November 2010, the Auckland Region became a unitary authority controlled by the Auckland Council, replacing the previous regional council, in the process, an area in its southeastern corner was transferred to the neighbouring Waikato Region. The name Auckland Region remains present in casual usage, the region ends within a few kilometres of the mouth of the Waikato River. It is bordered in the north by the Northland Region, and it also includes the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. In land area it is smaller than all the other regions and its highest point is the summit of Little Barrier Island, at 722 metres. The Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea form the coastline around the Auckland region, the east coast is lapped by the waters of the Hauraki Gulf, an arm of the Pacific sheltered by a considerable number of small and large islands, notably Great Barrier Island in the northeast. An arm of the Gulf, the Waitemata Harbour, forms the main harbour of Auckland city, the mainland coastline is 1,613 kilometres long, with the total coastline being 3,100 kilometres. Much of the marine area comprises sensitive tidal inlets and estuaries and semi-enclosed Waitemata, Manukau. To the west lie two large natural harbours, the Kaipara and the Manukau, both of these have treacherous entrances and are little used by shipping. The Kaipara Harbour is one of the worlds largest natural harbours, Auckland Airport is located on the edge of the Manukau Harbour. The region is blessed with fine beaches, especially on the Tasman coast south of the Kaipara. These include Muriwai and Piha beaches, the Auckland Region is built on a basement of greywacke rocks that form many of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, the Hunua Ranges, and land south of Port Waikato. The Waitakere Ranges in the west are the remains of a large andesitic volcano, the main isthmus and North Shore are composed of Waitemata sandstone and mudstone, and portions of the Northland Allochthon extend as far south as Albany. Little Barrier Island was formed by a relatively isolated andesitic volcano, the Manukau and South Kaipara Harbours are protected by the recent sand dune deposits of the Awhitu and South Kaipara Peninsulas. Recent basaltic volcanic activity has produced many volcanic cones throughout the Auckland Region, much of Aucklands urban area lies on top of the dormant Auckland Volcanic Field. The region is dotted by 49 volcanoes of varying age with the oldest being in the region of 150,000 years old, the most recent eruption occurred approximately 600 years ago, ending a few hundred years of activity during which Rangitoto Island was formed. Each volcanic eruption has tended to be bigger than the previous, all of the volcanoes are relatively small, most being less than 150 metres in height
7.
Hauraki Plains
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The Hauraki Plains are a geographical feature and non-administrative area located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the lower end of the Thames Valley. Broadly, the northern and southern parts of the Hauraki Plains are administered by the Hauraki District and the Matamata-Piako District respectively. The alluvial plains have been built up by sediment deposited by the Piako and Waihou Rivers, which flow north to reach the sea at the Firth of Thames, the resulting land is flat, peat-heavy, and partly swampy which has been converted into excellent land for dairy farming. Economically, the farming is the leading primary industry, supported by other grassland farming. More recently, tourism in the Hauraki Plains region has been growing, the largest town fully within the Plains is Ngatea, with a smaller settlement of Turua. The larger town of Paeroa is located on the edge of the Hauraki Plains. Around 2–3 million years ago, a block of the crust slumped down 500–2000 metres. The ancestral Waikato River often flowed through the valley into the Hauraki Gulf. Over time, the Hauraki Basin slowly filled up with pumice, mud, after the last shift of the Waikato River back to the west coast, the Waihou and Piako Rivers were formed. These two rivers carried silt out into the Firth of Thames or Tikapa, the plains were full of mangroves and was a dense forest of kahikatea. Most of the land was raw peat, varying in depth from a metre to more than twenty metres and it was a morass, the home of wild ducks and eels. Nevertheless, the flora and fauna of the plains amply provided the staples of the Maori people who lived in the region. The early European colonists were attracted not necessarily by the land, the colonists, or Pakeha, were timber millers such as the George and Martha Bagnall family who settled at Turua in 1875. As the kahikatea was felled, farmers followed onto the newly cleared land, but, once a year the Waihou and Piako Rivers would overflow, making agricultural settlement of the area difficult because of the poor drainage. However, in 1908 an act was passed to give the permission to drain the land. The Government paid the workers to dig the drains, a process took ten years to complete. In 1910 the Government decided to open an area of 16,299 acres for settlement on the Hauraki Plains, ballots were held for the blocks, which attracted the interests of future settlers and businessmen in the Thames Valley. Miners in the South Island were keen to settle in the area if sections were drawn up by the Government, the first applications for land blocks were made at the Miners Union Hall in Thames on 18 May 1910
8.
Great Barrier Island
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Great Barrier Island lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand,100 kilometres north-east of central Auckland. With an area of 285 square kilometres it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and its highest point, Mount Hobson, is 621 metres above sea level. The local authority is the Auckland Council, the island was initially exploited for its minerals and kauri trees and saw only limited agriculture. In 2013, it was inhabited by 939 people, mostly living from farming, the majority of the island is administered as a nature reserve by the Department of Conservation. In 2009 the island atmosphere was described as being life in New Zealand many decades back, the highest point, Mount Hobson or Hirakimata, is 621 metres above sea level. Smaller surrounding islands include Kaikoura Island, Rakitu Island, Aiguilles Island, the islands European name stems from its location on the outskirts of the Hauraki Gulf. With a maximum length of some 43 kilometres, it and the Coromandel Peninsula protect the gulf from the storms of the Pacific Ocean to the east, consequently, the island boasts highly contrasting coastal environments. The eastern coast comprises long, clear beaches, windswept sand-dunes, the western coast, sheltered and calm, is home to hundreds of tiny, secluded bays which offer some of the best diving and boating in the country. The inland holds several large and biologically diverse wetlands, along with rugged hill country, as well as old-growth, the island received its European name from Captain Cook because it acts as a barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the Hauraki Gulf. Entrance to the Hauraki Gulf is via two channels, one on side of the island. The island protects the gulf from the surface waves and the currents of the South Pacific Gyre. It is not a barrier, often defined as the correct use of the term. Mining Early European interest followed discovery of copper in the remote north, traces of these mines remain, largely accessible only by boat. Later, gold and silver were found in the Okupu / Whangaparapara area in the 1890s, the sound of the battery working was reputedly audible from the Coromandel Peninsula,20 km away. Concerns were that mining for the suspected $4.3 billion in mineral worth in the area would damage both the land as well as the islands tourism economy. Locals were split on the project, some hoping for new jobs, if restarted, mining at White Cliffs would occur in the same area it originally proliferated on Great Barrier. The areas regenerating bushland still holds numerous semi-collapsed or open mining shafts where silver, kauri logging The kauri logging industry was profitable in early European days and up to the mid-20th century. Forests were well inland, with no way to get the logs to the sea or to sawmills
9.
Hauraki Gulf
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The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km², and lies between, in order, the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula. Most of the gulf is part of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Hauraki is Māori for north wind. In 2014, the gulf was officially named Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana, the gulf is part of the Pacific Ocean, which it joins to the north and east. It is largely protected from the Pacific by Great Barrier Island and Little Barrier Island to the north and it is thus well protected against all but northern winds. Three large channels join the gulf to the Pacific, to the north of Auckland several peninsulas jut into the gulf, notably the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Tiritiri Matangi Island is near the end of this peninsula, further north, Kawau Island nestles under the Tawharanui Peninsula. Numerous beaches dot the shores of the gulf, many of them known for swimming and surfing. During the last glaciation period the gulf was dry land, with the sea level being around 100–110 m lower than at present, the gulf was submerged when the sea reached its current level around 7200 years ago. In the west of the gulf lie a string of islands guarding the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour and these include Ponui Island, Waiheke Island, Tiritiri Matangi and the iconic dome of Rangitoto Island, which is connected to the much older Motutapu Island by a causeway. The islands are separated from the mainland by the Tamaki Strait, at the southern end of the gulf is the wide, relatively shallow Firth of Thames. Beyond this lie the Hauraki Plains, drained by the Waihou River, the Hunua Ranges and hills of the Coromandel Peninsula rise on either side of the Firth. There are approximately 25 species of mammals in the gulf. Nearly a third of the marine mammal species live in or visit the Marine Park. The population remaining is estimated to be between 100-200, in recent years, increases in numbers of migrating baleen whales are confirmed long after the end of hunting era. These are humpback whales, southern blue whales, pygmy blue whales, less frequently, fin whales and sei whales are seen as well. For southern right whales, these whales will possibly become seasonal residents in the gulf as the populations recover, many of the islands are official or unofficial bird sanctuaries, holding important or critically endangered species like kiwi, takahe, brown teal and grey-faced petrel. The gulf is a vibrant natural environment, which has seen significant damage during the 20th, particularly damaging were the introduction of industrialised fishing, with for example snapper fishing peaking in the 1970s at more than 10,000 tonnes a year
10.
Headlands and bays
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Headlands and bays are two related coastal features. Headlands and bays are found on the same coastline. A bay is a body of water, either seawater or fresh water, headlands are characterized by high, breaking waves, rocky shores, intense erosion, and steep sea cliffs. Bays generally have less activity, and often less wind activity than the areas of water outside the bay. Headlands and bays form on discordant coastlines, where the land consists of bands of rock of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the coast. Refraction of waves occurs on headlands concentrating wave energy on them, so many other landforms, such as caves, natural arches, and stacks, form on headlands. Wave energy is directed at angles to the wave crest. Orthogonals converge on headlands and diverge in bays, which concentrates wave energy on the headlands, in the formation of sea cliffs, wave erosion undercuts the slopes at the shoreline, which retreat landward. This increases the stress in the cliff-forming material and accelerates mass movement. The debris from these landslides collects at the base of the cliff and is removed by the waves, usually during storms. This debris provides sediment, which is transported through longshore current for the nearby bay, joints in the headlands are eroded back to form caves, which erode further to form arches. These gaps eventually collapse and leave tall stacks at the ends of the headlands, eventually these too are eroded by the waves. Wave refraction disperses wave energy through the bay, and along with the effect of the headlands this protects bays from storms. This effect means that the waves reaching the shore in a bay are weaker than the waves reaching the headland, through the deposition of sediment within the bay and the erosion of the headlands, coastlines eventually straighten out. But then the process starts all over again. Beaches are dynamic geologic features that can fluctuate between advancement and retreat of sediment, the natural agents of fluctuation include waves, tides, currents, and winds. Man-made elements such as the interruption of sediment supply, such as a dam, a headland bay beach can be classified as being in three different states of sedimentation. Static equilibrium refers to a beach that is stable and does not experience littoral drift or sediment deposition or erosion, waves generally diffract around the headland and near the beach when the beach is in a state of static equilibrium
11.
Pacific Ocean
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The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the Earths oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, the Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres. Both the center of the Water Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere are in the Pacific Ocean, the oceans current name was coined by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521, as he encountered favourable winds on reaching the ocean. He called it Mar Pacífico, which in both Portuguese and Spanish means peaceful sea, important human migrations occurred in the Pacific in prehistoric times. Long-distance trade developed all along the coast from Mozambique to Japan, trade, and therefore knowledge, extended to the Indonesian islands but apparently not Australia. By at least 878 when there was a significant Islamic settlement in Canton much of trade was controlled by Arabs or Muslims. In 219 BC Xu Fu sailed out into the Pacific searching for the elixir of immortality, from 1404 to 1433 Zheng He led expeditions into the Indian Ocean. The east side of the ocean was discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513 after his expedition crossed the Isthmus of Panama and he named it Mar del Sur because the ocean was to the south of the coast of the isthmus where he first observed the Pacific. Later, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed the Pacific East to West on a Castilian expedition of world circumnavigation starting in 1519, Magellan called the ocean Pacífico because, after sailing through the stormy seas off Cape Horn, the expedition found calm waters. The ocean was often called the Sea of Magellan in his honor until the eighteenth century, sailing around and east of the Moluccas, between 1525 and 1527, Portuguese expeditions discovered the Caroline Islands, the Aru Islands, and Papua New Guinea. In 1542–43 the Portuguese also reached Japan, in 1564, five Spanish ships consisting of 379 explorers crossed the ocean from Mexico led by Miguel López de Legazpi and sailed to the Philippines and Mariana Islands. The Manila galleons operated for two and a half centuries linking Manila and Acapulco, in one of the longest trade routes in history, Spanish expeditions also discovered Tuvalu, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands, and the Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific. In the 16th and 17th century Spain considered the Pacific Ocean a Mare clausum—a sea closed to other naval powers, as the only known entrance from the Atlantic the Strait of Magellan was at times patrolled by fleets sent to prevent entrance of non-Spanish ships. On the western end of the Pacific Ocean the Dutch threatened the Spanish Philippines, Spain also sent expeditions to the Pacific Northwest reaching Vancouver Island in southern Canada, and Alaska. The French explored and settled Polynesia, and the British made three voyages with James Cook to the South Pacific and Australia, Hawaii, and the North American Pacific Northwest, one of the earliest voyages of scientific exploration was organized by Spain in the Malaspina Expedition of 1789–1794. It sailed vast areas of the Pacific, from Cape Horn to Alaska, Guam and the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific. Growing imperialism during the 19th century resulted in the occupation of much of Oceania by other European powers, and later, Japan, in Oceania, France got a leading position as imperial power after making Tahiti and New Caledonia protectorates in 1842 and 1853 respectively. After navy visits to Easter Island in 1875 and 1887, Chilean navy officer Policarpo Toro managed to negotiate an incorporation of the island into Chile with native Rapanui in 1888, by occupying Easter Island, Chile joined the imperial nations
12.
Little Barrier Island
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Little Barrier Island, or Hauturu in Māori language, lies off the northeastern coast of New Zealands North Island. Located 80 kilometres to the north of Auckland, the island is separated from the mainland to the west by Jellicoe Channel, the two aptly named islands shelter the Hauraki Gulf from many of the storms of the Pacific Ocean. Settled by the Maori sometime between 1350 and 1650, the island was occupied by those people until the New Zealand government declared the island a sanctuary in 1897. Since the island came under control of the government, it has been limited access. In the Māori language, the name of the name means the resting place of lingering breezes. Along with its larger neighbour Great Barrier, it was given its English name by Captain James Cook in 1769, the island is a nature sanctuary which has been described by the MBIE as the most intact ecosystem in New Zealand. However, several species were introduced by both Maori and European settlers, including cats which are destructive to local small bird and reptile species. Māori occupied the island for centuries prior to the first European visits, the initial occupation was by descendants of Toi te Huatahi, followed by Tainui who were then conquered by the Ngāti Wai. Only a few Ngāti Wai were still living on the island by 1881, when this purchase fell through, the island was instead appropriated through an Act of Parliament in 1894 and became New Zealands first nature reserve the following year. Since 1897, there has always been a caretaker or ranger resident on the island, over the expected 20-year life-span, the system is expected to generate fuel savings sufficient to replace its purchase costs. Māori stonework has been found in fourteen locations on the island, man-made cuttings, which were described in 1895 as ruts for hauling canoes, can be seen on the boulder beach ridge at Te Titoki Point. There are also stone rows measuring up to 60 metres long,2 metres wide and 0.5 metres high, stone rows and heaps can be found 200 metres to 500 metres from the mouths of Te Waikohare and Tirikawa Streams. The largest is 2 metres high and 4 metres wide, the most extensive stonework is located in the northwest of the island, near the ridge south of Te Hue Stream, where it is spread over several hectares. This site includes a number of terraces, which are stone-faced or have stone retaining walls, there are also numerous stone heaps and rows, and several free standing stone walls. Stonework in the northeast of the island is more weathered than in other areas, because of this weathering these features are thought to be older than at the other sites. The island is an andesitic volcanic cone, roughly circular in shape, about 6 km across. Its earliest volcanic activity is estimated to have occurred 3 million years ago, the volcano is most closely related to two volcanoes over 120 km northwest, near Whangarei. The island is sloping, and deeply dissected by ravines radiating from a central range that peaks at Mount Hauturu whose altitude is 722 m
13.
Northland Peninsula
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The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, the peninsula is not conterminous with the local government area of Northland Region, which occupies the northern 80% of the peninsula. The southern section of the peninsula is part of the Auckland Region. The peninsula stretches northwest for about 330 kilometres from the Auckland isthmus and it has a convoluted coastline, with many smaller peninsulas branching off it. The last 100 kilometres of its length is the Aupouri Peninsula – a peninsula on a peninsula – narrowing to only some 10 kilometres in width. At its northern end, the Aupouri Peninsula includes a number of capes, Cape Maria van Diemen, Cape Reinga, North Cape, and the Surville Cliffs, the northernmost point, at latitude 34°2347 South. The Kaipara Harbour part way up the western shore is one of the largest harbours in the world. Further north is the smaller Hokianga harbour, which is of historic and cultural significance, another historically significant site is Waitangi and the surrounding Bay of Islands. This was a settlement in early colonial New Zealand, and was the site of the Treaty of Waitangi. The largest settlement on the peninsula is Whangarei, on an opening on the Pacific Ocean close to the peninsulas widest point
14.
Whangaparaoa Peninsula
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Whangaparāoa Peninsula is a suburban area about 25 km north of Auckland in New Zealand. It had 30,672 residents in 2013, many of them in the town of Whangaparāoa on its southern side. It is part of the Hibiscus Coast, the peninsula is in the northern North Island, close to the base of the North Auckland Peninsula. Whangaparāoa is Māori for Bay of Whales, and pods of orca, the peninsula is mostly urbanised and is in the Northern Auckland Zone of the Auckland urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand. Since 2010, it has been part of the Albany Ward, until relatively recently a sparsely inhabited rural area, it is now populated with a large retired community, along with young families and couples, the city lying 25 kilometres to the south. Aucklands Northern Motorway was extended to Orewa at the end of the 1990s, reducing journey time into the city, the proposed Penlink road would provide a quicker route between the peninsula and central Auckland. The peninsula stretches east for 11 kilometres into the Hauraki Gulf, Tiritiri Matangi Island is three kilometres off its eastern tip. The town of Whangaparāoa is on the shore, and is regarded as the start of the Hibiscus Coast. Communities include Red Beach, Stanmore Bay, Manly, Tindalls Bay, Army Bay, Gulf Harbour, Matakatia Bay, at the end of the peninsula is Shakespear Regional Park. The New Zealand Defence Force owns part of area, which has been used as a resettlement camp for refugees. The peninsula is home to football club Hibiscus Coast AFC, which competes in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2, Hibiscus Coast is served by Auckland Transport bus routes operated by AT Metro to destinations including Hibiscus Station and central Auckland. Ferries operated by 360 Discovery run between Gulf Harbour and central Auckland daily, and to Tiritiri Matangi, Whangaparāoa College is the main college
15.
Tiritiri Matangi Island
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Tiritiri Matangi Island lies in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand,3.4 km east of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula in the North Island and 30 km north east of Auckland. It attracts between 30,000 and 32,000 visitors a year, the maximum allowed by the Auckland Conservation Management Strategy, the name, meaning tossed by the wind in Māori, is often popularly shortened to Tiritiri. Māori mythology considers the island to be a float of a fishing net. The first people to settle on the island were Māori of the Kawerau iwi, there were two pā, Tiritiri Matangi Pā and Papakura Pā. European settlers arrived in the early 19th century, in 1841 Ngati paoa sold the land to the crown as part of the Mahurangi Block. When the Kawerau returned, friction ensued as both peoples had a claim to the island, in 1867 the Māori Land Court awarded title to the crown. A lighthouse was constructed near the end in 1864. The island was farmed from the mid 1800s to 1971, when the lease expired, Management was then vested in the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board. In 1956, a light source was fitted to the lighthouse. It had an output of 11 million candle-power and a range of 58 nautical miles, making it one of the most powerful lights in the world, most lights shone for 27 nautical miles. It was hoped that native forest would regenerate naturally, making the island a suitable habitat for bird life. However, afforestation seemed to be happening very slowly and a number of volunteers were recruited to plant saplings. Over 250,000 native trees and shrubs of over 30 different species were planted in the project from 1984 to 1994. The next intervention was eradication in 1993 of the Polynesian rat, known to Māori as kiore, the kiore were killed by an aerial drop of poisoned bait, which was controversial due to its lack of planning and the effect on other wildlife. For instance, 90% of pukeko on the island were killed, eighty-seven species of birds have been observed on or near the island. Eleven native species have been translocated to the island as part of the restoration project. Non-avian translocations include a reptile tuatara in 2003, Duvaucels gecko in 2006, non-native species present include the Australian brown quail. The success of the project encouraged the creation of a number of similar projects around the Gulf, such as on Motuihe, Motuora
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Kawau Island
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For other uses see Te Kawau, Jason Kawau, and great cormorant. Kawau Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and it is 40 km north of Auckland. Mansion House in the Kawau Island Historic Reserve is an important historic tourist attraction, almost every property on the Island relies on direct access to the sea. There are only two roads serving settlements at Schoolhouse Bay and South Cove, and most people have private wharves for access to their front door steps. The island is named after the Māori word for the shag bird, a regular ferry service operates to the island from Sandspit Wharf on the mainland, as do water taxi services. The island is 8 by 5 km at its longest axes, the sheltered location of the bay has made it a favourite stop for yachts for more than a century. Kawau, though providing little arable land, was well-favoured by Māori for its surrounding waters. Copper was mined on the island after discovery in the 1842, in 1844/45 the island produced about 7,000 pounds of copper which was about a third of Aucklands exports for that year. The island was bought a few years later by Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand, the reserve is public land and covers 10% of the Island, and includes the old copper mine, believed to be the site of New Zealands first underground metalliferous mining venture. The ruins of the mines pumphouse are registered as a Category I heritage structure, the island is home to kiwi and two thirds of the entire population of North Island weka. Among the animals that Grey introduced were five species of wallabies, three of the six introduced wallaby species remain and do considerable damage to the native vegetation, thus harming the habitat for these flightless birds and other native fauna. The wallabies destroy all emerging seedlings which means that the present native trees are the last generation, the usual understorey forest species are absent due to wallaby browsing and in many cases the ground is bare. Possums, also introduced by Grey, destroy mature native trees, the result has been a considerable loss of biodiversity, with bird numbers plummeting due to loss of both food supply and habitat. Even the surrounding environment has been severely compromised by silt carried from the bare ground by rainwater. Greys wallaby introduction however had some minor indirect benefit in the early 2000s, Pōhutukawa Trust New Zealand was founded in 1992 by Ray Weaver and other private landowners who own 90% of the island, to rehabilitate the native flora and fauna of Kawau Island. The ongoing program is funded by donations and sponsors, possum numbers have already been greatly reduced and kept at very low numbers since 1985 through sustained control, saving the coastal pōhutukawa tree, a New Zealand icon. The response to pest control work has been increasing native bird numbers, including increased kiwi calls, brown teal, kākā, Kererū, other animal pests the Trust intends to eradicate in stages as resources enable include stoats, feral cats, and ship rats. Kawau is an example of the consequences of exotic animals being brought to a place
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Tawharanui Peninsula
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Tawharanui Peninsula is a finger of land projecting into the Hauraki Gulf from the east coast of the much larger North Auckland Peninsula of New Zealand. It separates Omaha Bay to the north from Kawau Bay and Kawau Island to the south, the nearest sizable town is Warkworth. Tawharanui Regional Park covers 588 hectares of the land and Tawharanui Marine Reserve covers the northern coastal sea. Both are administered by Auckland Council which also owns the regional park, geologically the peninsula consists of Waitemata Sandstone on top of folded and uplifted greywacke. Māori lived in the area for over 800 years, the Māori name Tawhara-nui refers to the abundant bracts of the kiekie vine. Until the 1870s, the park was occupied by a small hapu of the Te Kawerau people called Ngati Raupo, the people lived mainly around the catchment of the Mangatawhiri Stream. A significant pā, Oponui, was near the entrance to the park, Tawharanui provided a large variety of marine and forest resources. This was celebrated in the saying, He wha tawhara ki uta, he kiko tamure ki tai - The flowering bracts of the kiekie on the land, waikokowai provided a valued source of kokowai or red ochre, which was used for decorative and ceremonial purposes. Tawharanui was sold by the Māori owners in 1873–1877 and developed as a farm by the Martin, Jones, kauri timber was milled and manuka cut for firewood for many years. Shingle was extracted for a hundred years, creating the Jones Bay Lagoon, nine vessels were wrecked on the Tawharanui coastline between 1871 and 1978. Anchor Bay is named after the anchor of the Phoenix, wrecked in 1879, the Auckland Regional Authority, forerunner of the Auckland Council, purchased the parkland from the Georgetti family in 1973. The park combines a mainland island sanctuary for the conservation of plants and animals with farmland. The park is mostly grazed pasture with manuka scattered throughout and patches of coastal forest, elsewhere there are totara, kahikatea, pohutukawa, cabbage trees, karaka and New Zealand flax. The mainland island was created by the construction of a 2.5 km pest-proof fence across the peninsula in 2004. This was followed by a drop of poison later in 2004 which eliminated black rats, brown rats, feral cats, possums, weasels. Introduced pests remaining in the sanctuary are mice, rabbits and hedgehogs, the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc. assists Auckland Council with the sanctuary by fundraising and volunteer work. Sixteen species of land birds and 15 species of native coastal birds have been recorded in the park. Wetland birds include the Australasian bittern, spotless crake and fernbird, coastal birds include the New Zealand dotterel, blue reef heron and variable oystercatcher
18.
Waiheke Island
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Waiheke Island is in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry-terminal in Matiatia Bay at the end is 21.5 km from the downtown terminal in Auckland—measured on GPS by Fullers Ferry captains. It is the second-largest island in the gulf, after Great Barrier Island and it is the most populated island in the gulf, with nearly 8,730 permanent residents plus another estimated 3,400 who have second or holiday homes on the island. It is New Zealands most densely populated island, with 95 people/km², and it is the most accessible island in the Gulf, with regular passenger and car ferry services, a Waiheke-based helicopter operator, and other air links. It is 19.3 km long from west to east, varies in width from 0.64 to 9.65 km, the coastline is 133.5 km, including 40 km of beaches. The port of Matiatia at the end is 17.7 km from Auckland. The much smaller Tarahiki Island lies 3 km to the east, the island is very hilly with few flat areas, the highest point being Maunganui at 231 m. The climate is warmer than Auckland, with less humidity and rain. There are many beaches, including, Oneroa Beach – The main beach. Little Oneroa Beach – A small secluded beach at the east end of Oneroa Beach, Palm Beach – Similar in shape to Oneroa Beach, it gets its name from the mature phoenix palms at the east end. Little Palm Beach – A small clothes-optional beach at the west end of Palm Beach, Blackpool Beach – The south-facing counterpart of Oneroa Beach, lining Blackpool and popular for kayaking and windsurfing. Onetangi Beach – A1. 87-kilometre long, north-facing beach lining Onetangi, for many years it has been the site of the Onetangi Beach Races. Its western end, often inaccessible at high tide, is clothes-optional and it has sandcastle building contests annually, participants have a few hours to build their creations in soft sand that is free of shells and suitable for digging. Cactus Bay – Considered by many Waihekeans as the most perfect beach and, with nearby Garden Cove, the beach is accessible only by boat or kayak, as its land access was blocked off by a private landowner. Shelly Beach – A small and well sheltered shell and stone beach located between Oneroa and Ostend and it has free BBQ facilities and a diving platform located just off shore. Its a popular choice with families as at high tide, it is very calm. Summers tend to be warm and humid, while winters are mild with frost being a rare event on Waiheke. It is often said by locals that Waiheke has a micro-climate which differs to that of other parts of the Auckland Isthmus
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Rangitoto Island
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Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The 5.5 km wide island is an iconic and widely visible landmark of Auckland with its distinctive symmetrical shield volcano cone rising 260 metres high over the Hauraki Gulf, Rangitoto is the most recent and the largest of the approximately 50 volcanoes of the Auckland volcanic field. It is separated from the mainland of Aucklands North Shore by the Rangitoto Channel, since World War II it has been linked by a causeway to the much older, non-volcanic Motutapu Island. Rangitoto is Māori for Bloody Sky, with the coming from the full phrase Ngā Rangi-i-totongia-a Tama-te-kapua. Tama-te-kapua was the captain of the Arawa waka and was wounded on the island. Rangitoto was formed by a series of eruptions commencing at least 6000 years ago, the most recent eruptions occurred between 550 and 600 years ago in two episodes,10 to 50 years apart, and are thought to have lasted for several years during the later shield-forming episode. The first recent episode erupted most of the ash that mantles neighbouring Motutapu Island. The second episode built most of Rangitoto, erupting all the lava flows, in February 2014 a 150m deep hole was drilled through the western flank of Rangitoto. This revealed a history of activity going back at least 6000 years, civil Defence officials said the discovery did not make living in Auckland any more dangerous, but did change their view of how an evacuation might proceed. The fact that Rangitoto Island has erupted off and on for a period of time demonstrates that it is the only known polygenetic volcano in the Auckland volcanic field. It is possible that Rangitoto includes a cluster of small volcanoes that are now covered by the main shield. In some parts of the island, fields of lightweight, clinker-like black lava stones called scoria are still exposed, appearing very recent to a casual eye. About 200 metres from the top of the mountain on the eastern side visitors can walk through some of seven known lava tubes — tubes left behind after the passage of liquid lava. The more accessible of the caves are signposted, at Rangitoto the large tubes are cave-like. A torch is needed to explore the caves, the longest known cave is about 50 m long. The volcano erupted within the memory of the local Māori iwi. Human footprints have been found between layers of Rangitoto volcanic ash on the adjoining Motutapu Island, ngāi Tai was the iwi living on Motutapu, and considers both islands their ancestral home. Ngāti Paoa also has links with Rangitoto, a number of Māori myths exist surrounding the island, including that of a tupua couple, children of the Fire Gods
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Volcano
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A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. Earths volcanoes occur because its crust is broken into 17 major, therefore, on Earth, volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. This type of volcanism falls under the umbrella of plate hypothesis volcanism, Volcanism away from plate boundaries has also been explained as mantle plumes. These so-called hotspots, for example Hawaii, are postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs with magma from the boundary,3,000 km deep in the Earth. Volcanoes are usually not created where two plates slide past one another. Erupting volcanoes can pose hazards, not only in the immediate vicinity of the eruption. Historically, so-called volcanic winters have caused catastrophic famines, the word volcano is derived from the name of Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy whose name in turn comes from Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology. The study of volcanoes is called volcanology, sometimes spelled vulcanology, at the mid-oceanic ridges, two tectonic plates diverge from one another as new oceanic crust is formed by the cooling and solidifying of hot molten rock. Most divergent plate boundaries are at the bottom of the oceans, therefore, most volcanic activity is submarine, black smokers are evidence of this kind of volcanic activity. Where the mid-oceanic ridge is above sea-level, volcanic islands are formed, for example, subduction zones are places where two plates, usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate, collide. In this case, the plate subducts, or submerges under the continental plate forming a deep ocean trench just offshore. In a process called flux melting, water released from the subducting plate lowers the temperature of the overlying mantle wedge. This magma tends to be very viscous due to its high content, so it often does not reach the surface. When it does reach the surface, a volcano is formed, typical examples of this kind of volcano are Mount Etna and the volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Because tectonic plates move across them, each volcano becomes dormant and is eventually re-formed as the plate advances over the postulated plume and this theory is currently under criticism, however. The most common perception of a volcano is of a mountain, spewing lava and poisonous gases from a crater at its summit, however. The features of volcanoes are more complicated and their structure. Some volcanoes have rugged peaks formed by lava domes rather than a summit crater while others have features such as massive plateaus
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Motutapu Island
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Motutapu Island is a 1,509 ha island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park and its full name, rarely used, is Te Motutapu a Taikehu, The sacred island of Taikehu, Taikehu having been a tohunga of the Tainui iwi. Motutapu, meaning sacred or sanctuary island, is a used for various islands in a number of Polynesian cultures. The island can be accessed via ferry services departing from Auckland City. The island is now linked by a causeway to the much younger volcanic island cone of Rangitoto. Prior to the emergence of the volcano, the island had been occupied by Māori for over 100 years. The eruption, some 700 years ago, destroyed their settlements, of the many archaeological sites recorded, one, the Sunde Site, shows human and dog footprints preserved in solidified ash. These were protected from erosion by a layer of ash from the next eruption, today the island lacks the forest cover of neighbouring Rangitoto Island and most areas are limited to grass and wet meadows. There are few trees on the island but a reforestation project has been carried out by The Motutapu Restoration Trust. The project has brought back many indigenous flora to various sections of the island, in March 2013, two shallow earthquakes situated beneath Motutapu Island measuring 3.1 and 3.9 shook the Auckland area. Fears they could be a sign of an eruption at nearby Rangitoto Island were allayed by geologists. Motutapu has a history that encompasses virtually the full span of New Zealand settlement. It was one of the earliest places inhabited both by Polynesians, and later by Europeans in the Auckland region, the earliest evidence for occupation of Motutapu dates to before the eruption of Rangitoto in c. AD1400. The eruption smothered Motutapu in ash and caused widespread deforestation, Archaeological deposits bracketing the ash suggest the eruption prompted a shift from broad spectrum hunting of forest birds to intensive marine exploitation and horticulture. Numerous kumara pits were found by archeologists. Following the eruption Motutapu is reported to have been visited by both the Arawa and Tainui canoes and was settled by the Tainui ancestors of the Ngai Tai. The Ngati Tai maintained rights of occupation from that time until its eventual sale with only minor incursions from other groups. The Ngati Huarere of Arawa descent claimed bird snaring rights over the kaka by right of conquest, in the 1820s many of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, including Motutapu, were evacuated in response to the threat of Hongi Hika and the Ngapuhi armed with muskets
22.
Browns Island (Auckland)
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Browns Island or Motukorea is a small New Zealand island, in the Hauraki Gulf north of Musick Point, one of the best preserved volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field. The age of eruption is currently unknown, due to centuries of cultivation, little native bush remains except on the north-eastern cliffs, leaving the volcanic landforms easily visible. It exhibits the landforms from three styles of eruption, the island consists of one main scoria cone with a deep crater, a small remnant arc of the tuff ring forming the cliffs in the northeast, and the upper portions of lava flows. The area was dry land when the eruptions occurred, but much of the lava is now submerged beneath the sea. Phillips makes mention of the Tainui canoe stopping at the island after leaving Wakatiwai on the Firth of Thames, three pā sites have been identified by Simmons. The name Motukorea means oystercatcher island, starting from 1820, early European visitors included Richard Cruise, Samuel Marsden and John Butler, who both traded with Maori for produce. Dumont D’Urville visited the island in 1827 and reported it abandoned, Brown and Campbell settled on the western side of the island from 13 August 1840, making it one of the earliest European settlements in the Auckland area. They built a raupo whare and ran pigs on the island, using it as a base from which they aspired to establish, the idea was abandoned, but Governor Hobson refused the application for a Crown grant made by Brown in August 1840. The grant was made on 22 October 1844. In 1856, both men left the colony appointing a resident manager in charge of their affairs, Campbell eventually bought out Brown’s share in their business, including Motukorea, in May 1873 for £40000 when Brown refused to return from Britain to resume control of their affairs. This transaction was carried out via William Baker who appears to have acted as an intermediary, in 1877 Campbell proposed to transplant olives to Motukorea and 5000 seedlings were grown in a nursery on One Tree Hill for this purpose, but were never transplanted. Campbell eventually sold to the Featherstone family in 1879, who built a house on the north-eastern side of the island which burnt down in 1915. The derelict house was still on the island in the 1960s, in the 1920s the Devonport Steam Ferry Company regularly bought picnickers to the island landing them on a substantial wooden wharf about 120 ft long on the north side of the island. A1922 survey plan shows a cottage in on the western flat presumably built to replace the one that was lost in 1915. Ernest Davis had been the chairperson of the Devonport Steam Ferry Company for 20 years which may explain some of his affinity with Browns Island. The Auckland City Council administered the island until 1968 when it became part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, management control was vested in the Department of Lands and Survey and in 1987 this was transferred to the Department of Conservation. Browns Island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, there are three pa sites on the island, with the largest occupying the slopes of the main scoria cone. The islands highest point is 68 metres above sea level, the mineral motukoreaite was discovered in 1977 on the island and named for it
23.
Motuihe Island
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Motuihe Island lies between Motutapu and Waiheke islands in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, near Auckland. The island measures about 179 ha, of which around 18 ha are remnants of coastal forest, the island is a recreation reserve controlled by the Department of Conservation and administered by the Motuihe Trust. It is a spot for day trips, accessible by 30-minute ferry trip from Auckland, by seaplane. The island is known for its beautiful beaches, the name comes from Te Motu-a-Ihenga, meaning Ihengas Island in Māori. The small island has had a human history. Starting out as a Māori settlement place, at least two pā fortification sites are known on the island, the locals are said to have grown gourds and taro. Very soon after arrival of the Europeans in the area, in 1839, the island was purchased, groves of Norfolk pines and olive trees are remnants of this time. A quarantine station was built on the section of the island in 1873. It was first used in 1874 for scarlet fever arriving on a ship and operated for almost 50 years. During the First World War, the station was used as an internment camp whose most famous prisoner was Count Felix von Luckner, with the outbreak of World War II, the buildings became a naval training base, HMNZS Tamaki, and a number of newer buildings were added. The base remained a training ground until 1963, when its functions were moved to the North Shore mainland. The islands trust organises a programme of pest eradication and is slowly replanting sections of the island with native trees. Rats and mice were eradicated in 1996 and rabbits in 2004, the conservation programme has reintroduced native species like the North Island saddleback. The Trust maintains a small presence on the island. In early 2008, rat footprints were found in a tunnel on the island. This set off an effort by the trust and DOC to catch the rodent. In March 2009, fifteen little spotted kiwi were released on the island, in May 2009,350 agents of The Nikolai Organisation planted 22,400 native trees on Motuihe Island in just one day, which was 40% of the 2009 planting programme. List of islands of New Zealand Motuihe Trust Photographs of Motuihe Island held in Auckland Libraries heritage collections
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Rakino Island
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Rakino Island is one of the many islands in the Hauraki Gulf, an arm of the Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. Rakino is a small island north-east of Motutapu Island, the island is 2.4 km long and about 1.2 km wide and has an area of 1.5 km2. The two most popular bays have public access, but three others also have access from the sea, there are smaller bays and beaches without public access. The public wharf is at the end of Sandy Bay. The hilly topography comprises a layer of volcanic topsoil from Rangitoto Island that overlays a thick mantle of clay soil which in turn overlays greywacke rock. The island is mostly in pasture with pockets of coastal pōhutukawa, there are around 76 dwellings on Rakino Island though the permanent population is only approximately 16 as of 2010. Rakino, with its few permanent residents and its small size, residents welcome its isolation and privacy. Sir George Grey, governor of New Zealand, bought Rakino in 1862 and he ordered trees and started building a house in Home Bay but he lost interest when Kawau Island became available. The experiment was a failure and soon abandoned, there is an entry in the Appendices to the House of Representatives Journal which says Ihaka did not thrive much on the island, and died there, it is presumed of homesickness and a broken heart. In 1874 Albert Sanford leased the island from Sir George Grey before buying it and he and his family lived there for nearly 80 years. He was one of the founders of the Auckland commercial fishing fleet and his company started on Rakino Island in 1881, and he sold fish on the wharves at the bottom of Queen St. “Sanford Limited” was incorporated in 1904. The family home he still stands in Home Bay. It was built of kauri logs rafted from Mercury Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula, in 1963, the island was bought by Dr Maxwell Rickard, president of the UPO, with the aim of setting up a philanthropic community. Rickard was a clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist and also owned an Auckland nightclub, plans for the island included a clinic for disturbed and nervous patients, an international orphanage, a refuge for unmarried mothers and homes for the elderly. However, these plans did not eventuate and the island was subdivided in 1965 into 25 blocks of 10 acres and 125 smaller pieces of land sold for between £2500 and £6000. Communication on the island was a problem, so the worlds first solar-powered telephone was installed, while widespread use of mobile phones has reduced reliance on land lines, the phone is still in use and local calling to Auckland is free. List of islands of New Zealand New Zealand outlying islands Rakino Ratepayers Association Official Blog
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Rotoroa Island
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Rotoroa Island is an island to the east of Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. The Salvation Army purchased it for £400 in 1908 from the Ruthe family to expand their alcohol, men were treated at Home Bay at Rotoroa, while women were treated at Pakatoa. This treatment facility was closed in 2005, the island was leased from the Salvation Army in February 2008 by Neal and Annette Plowman, who formed a trust to create a conservation park on the island. They have begun a project which will eventually include 400,000 native plants. The chapel, schoolhouse and jail are being restored and a visitor centre will be built and they gave the island to Auckland in February 2010 and it was opened on 26 February 2011. The Plowmans also funded the nationwide Next Foundation, the island is accessible through various ferry and air service companies. List of islands of New Zealand
26.
Firth of Thames
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The Firth of Thames is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was named the Thames River. The firth lies at the end of the Hauraki Gulf. It occupies a valley or graben between the Coromandel Peninsula and Hunua Ranges which continues into the Hauraki Plains to the south. The Firth of Thames is an important site for waders or shorebirds, the Miranda Shorebird Centre, operated by the Miranda Naturalists Trust, is located on the western shore of the bay at Miranda. However, the firth overall is severely damaged by man-made influences, especially dairy-farm run-off, whales such as southern right whales and Brydes whales can be seen in the bay to calve and rest
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Waihou River
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The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook, in its lower reaches, the river and the nearby Piako River form the wide alluvial Hauraki Plains. The bridge was infamous for the queues of vehicles travelling to, tributaries include the Waimakariri Stream, Waiomou Stream, Oraka Stream and the Ohinemuri River. In 1879 the Falls of Awotonga were destroyed by 200 pounds of dynamite to free the navigation of the river for shipping, there was a water column of 150 m. Other parts of the river had been cleared in the manner in previous years. The crystal-clear waters of the Waihou River provide ideal fishing, the river supports large populations of rainbow and brown trout. A survey conducted in 2009 showed that the section of the river supported over 700 fish per kilometre. Media related to Waihou River at Wikimedia Commons 1,50,000 map of source of Waihou River South Waikato District Council, Te Waihou Walkway to Blue Spring - with link to youtube video
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Piako River
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The Piako River is a lowland river system that drains into the Firth of Thames on the North Island of New Zealand. Together with the Waihou River, it is one of the two main rivers systems which drains the Hauraki Plains and it is the dominant river system in the Matamata-Piako District, and on its journey it passes through the towns of Morrinsville and Ngatea. The Piako River has a mean flow of 17 cubic metres per second. The Piako River has two stems, the first, and main, stem drains the northern Te Miro-Tahuroa hills. The dominant tributaries on the slopes of these hills are the Piakonui. These streams, together with the smaller Toenepi Stream, converge just south of Kereone to become the Piako River, the western slopes are drained by the Waitakaruru Stream which joins the Piako River at Morrinsville. As the Piako River progresses north, it is fed by small streams draining the eastern slopes of the Hangawera Hills. The second stem is the Waitoa River, which starts near Piarere, the Upper Piako River catchment also drains the eastern aspects of the Hapuakohe Range through small tributaries. The river system is modified by intensive dairy farming and associated industry. Since the 1930s, considerable flood protection measures have been undertaken on the Piako River and surrounding catchment, especially north of Paeroa-Tahuna Road. Considerable work has gone into restoring the banks of the river, as in winter it is the direct cause of flooding through the low-lying Hauraki Plains
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Hunua Ranges
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The Hunua Ranges form a block of hilly country to the southeast of Auckland in New Zealands North Island. They cover some 250 square kilometres, containing 178 km² of parkland, Auckland gets much of its water from reservoirs within the Hunua Ranges. The ranges contain many rivers and streams, including the Hunua Falls on the Wairoa River, the ranges are located approximately 50 kilometres southeast of Auckland, above the western shore of the Firth of Thames. They are sparsely populated, and mostly lie within the boundaries of the Waharau, the settlement of Hunua lies on the foot of the Hunua Ranges. Maori made some use of the ranges and early European visitors found areas of clearing that had used as gardens. Some Maori archaeological sites are known, the main part of the ranges was subject to confiscation after the New Zealand Wars. Early European use of the ranges was for timber extraction and for farming, there has been some mining of Manganese in the past. Gold prospecting for quartz reefs has never found payable reefs, from the 1920s onwards the land was progressively bought by Auckland City Council utilising funds from its water supply operation. Development of the water supplies commenced in the late 1940s, with the first of the four dams, Cossey’s, three further dams, Mangatawhiri, Wairoa and Mangatangi were completed in 1965,1975 and 1977 respectively. Combined, the dams have a capacity of 77.1 million cubic meters, the bulk water supply operation and the land passed to the newly formed Auckland Regional Authority in 1964. The water operation was corporatised as Watercare Services Ltd in 1992, Watercare took ownership of the water related assets and took a long term lease from the Auckland Regional Council of the reservoir areas and the operational areas. The exotic forestry land was leased to another party. The catchment land became regional park land, in November 2010, the southernmost part of the Hunua Ranges were transferred to Waikato Region. Hunua Ranges, An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 26 September 2006. Barton, Ian L.1978 Aucklands south eastern bulwark, a history of the Hunua Ranges, barton, Ian L.2001 Hunua, The place and its people, a view from 2000. The Hunua Ranges are bounded on the east by the Firth of Thames, the north by the Tamaki Strait, the west by the Wairoa River, on the Vegetation of the Hunua Ranges, Auckland. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26, Hunua and Waharau Regional Parks, Auckland Regional Council
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Bryde's whale
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Brydes whale or the Brydes whale complex putatively comprises two species of rorqual and maybe three. The complex means the number and classification remains unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research. The common Brydes whale is a form that occurs worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters. The recently described Omuras whale, was considered a pygmy form of Brydes. Sittang whale refers to the locality of the species. In Thailand, locals distinguished Sittang whales different from B. edeni, in Japan, early whalers called it anchovy or skipjack whale. It preys on the anchovy and it was associated with the skipjack. As modern whaling shifted to the Sanriku area, whalemen confused it for the sei whale, incidentally, anchovies are dominant prey for both species off Japan. They are now called nitari-kujira, for their resemblance to the sei whale, for both putative species, the scientific name B. edeni is commonly used or they are simply referred to B. cf brydei/edeni. Despite terrible weather, he was able to secure almost the entire skull and nearly all its vertebrae and these were sent to Anderson, who described the specimen, which was physically mature, as a new species. In 1950, the Dutch scientist G. C. A, members of the Brydes whale complex are moderately sized rorquals, falling behind sei whales, but being larger than Omuras whale and the relatively small minke whales. At physical maturity, the coastal form off South Africa averages 13.1 m for males and 13.7 m for females, the coastal form near Japan is slightly smaller, with adult males averaging 12.9 m and adult females 13.3 m. At sexual maturity, males average 11.9 m and females 12 m near Japan, sexual maturity is reached at 8–11 years for both sexes in the offshore form off South Africa. At birth, they are 3. 95–4.15 m, the body mass of Brydes whales can range 12–25 metric tons. Brydes whale is a whale, more specifically a rorqual belonging to the same group as blue whales. It has twin blowholes with a low splashguard to the front, like other rorquals, it has no teeth, but has two rows of baleen plates. Brydes whales closely resemble their close relative the sei whale and they are remarkably elongated, with the greatest height of the body being one-seventh their total length – compared to 1/6.5 to 1/6.75 in fin whales and only 1/5.5 in sei whales. Brydes have a rostrum with three longitudinal ridges that extend from the blowholes, where the auxiliary ridges begin as depressions
31.
Killer whale
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The killer whale or orca is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales have a diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and they have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as there is no animal that preys on them, Killer whales are considered a cosmopolitan species, and can be found in each of the worlds oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales are social, some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are specific to a particular group. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to depletion, habitat loss, pollution, capture for marine mammal parks. In late 2005, the Southern Resident Killer Whales, the population that inhabits British Columbia, Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, but there have been cases of captive orcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks. Killer whales feature strongly in the mythologies of cultures, with their reputation ranging from being the souls of humans to merciless killers. Orcinus orca is the only recognized extant species in the genus Orcinus, the killer whale is one of 35 species in the oceanic dolphin family, which first appeared about 11 million years ago. The killer whale lineage probably branched off shortly thereafter, english-speaking scientists most often use the term killer whale, although the term orca is increasingly used. Killer whale advocates point out it has a long heritage, indeed, the genus name Orcinus means of the kingdom of the dead, or belonging to Orcus. Ancient Romans originally applied orca to these animals, possibly borrowing it from the Greek ὄρυξ, since the 1960s, orca has steadily grown in popularity, both names are now used. According to some authors, the killer whale is a mistranslation of the 18th century Spanish name asesina-ballenas which means literally whale killer. Basque whalers would have given it such name after observing pods of orcas hunting baleen whales and they are sometimes referred to as blackfish, a name also used for other whale species. Grampus is a name for the species, but is now seldom used. This meaning of grampus should not be confused with the genus Grampus, the three to five types of killer whales may be distinct enough to be considered different races, subspecies, or possibly even species. Residents diets consist primarily of fish and sometimes squid, and they live in complex, female residents characteristically have rounded dorsal fin tips that terminate in a sharp corner
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Bottlenose dolphin
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Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, instead of one. Research in 2011 revealed a species, the Burrunan dolphin. Bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide and they live in all oceans except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle area. Bottlenose dolphins live in groups typically of 10–30 members, called pods and their diets consist mainly of forage fish. Dolphins often work as a team to harvest fish schools, Dolphins search for prey primarily using echolocation, which is similar to sonar. They emit clicking sounds and listen for the echos to determine the location and shape of nearby items. Numerous investigations of bottlenose dolphin intelligence have been conducted, examining mimicry, use of language, object categorization. They can use tools and transmit cultural knowledge across generations, Bottlenose dolphins gained popularity from aquarium shows and television programs such as Flipper. They have also trained by militaries to locate sea mines or detect. In some areas, they cooperate with local fishermen by driving fish into their nets, some encounters with humans are harmful to the dolphins, people hunt them for food, and dolphins are killed inadvertently as a bycatch of tuna fishing and by getting caught in crab traps. The deepest dive ever recorded for a dolphin was 300 meters. This was accomplished by Tuffy, a dolphin trained by the US Navy, scientists were long aware that Tursiops dolphins might consist of more than one species. Molecular genetics allowed much greater insight into this previously intractable problem, truncatus lives in the Black Sea, The Pacific bottlenose dolphin, another subspecies of T. truncatus and T. aduncus, but is not considered a separate species by the IUCN. The two ecotypes of the bottlenose dolphin within the western North Atlantic are represented by the shallower water or coastal ecotype. Their ranges overlap, but they have shown to be genetically distinct. They are not currently described, however, as species or subspecies. In general, genetic variation between populations is significant, even nearby populations
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Common dolphin
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The common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus. Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, modern cetologists usually recognise two species — the short-beaked common dolphin, which retains the systematic name Delphinus delphis, and the long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis. However, this dolphin was the most frequently represented in the art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Both common dolphin species are medium-sized, adults range between 1.9 and 2.5 m long, and can weigh between 80–235 kg, although the range between 80–150 kg is more common, males are generally longer and heavier. The color pattern on the body is unusual, the back is dark and the belly is white, while on each side is an hourglass pattern colored light grey, yellow, or gold in front and dirty grey in back. They have long, thin rostra with up to 50–60 small, sharp, despite the historic practice of lumping the entire Delphinus genus into a single species, these widely distributed dolphins exhibit a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Indeed, over the past few decades, over 20 distinct species in the genus have been proposed, scientists in California in the 1960s concluded there were two species — the long-beaked and short-beaked. This analysis was confirmed by a more in-depth genetic study in the 1990s. This study also suggested a third species, characterized by a long and thin beak and found in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The current standard taxonomic works recognize this as just a regional variety, D. tropicalis is a subspecies of D. capensis. Common dolphins live in both warm-temperate and tropical waters ranging from 40–60°N to 50°S, long-beaked common dolphins mostly inhabit shallow, warm coastal water. Short-beaked common dolphins are common along shelf edges and in areas with sharp bottom relief such as seamounts and escarpments, common dolphin have a varied diet consisting of many species of fish and squid. This includes both species and epipelagic schooling species. They have been recorded to make dives up to 200 metres deep, common dolphins can live in aggregations of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins. They sometimes associate with other species, such as pilot whales. They have also been observed bow riding on baleen whales, and they are fast swimmers, and breaching behavior and aerial acrobatics are common with this species. They are also known to display behaviors to support injured members. The short-beaked common dolphin has a period of 10 to 11 months
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Cetacea
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Cetacea are a widely distributed and diverse clade of aquatic mammals that today consists of the whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Most species live in the sea, some in rivers, the name is derived from the Latin cetus whale and Greek ketos huge fish. The extinct ancestors of modern whales are the Archaeoceti, while cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from mesonychids, molecular evidence supports them as a relative of Artiodactyls. Cetaceans belong to the order Cetartiodactyla and their closest living relatives are hippopotamuses and other hoofed mammals, having diverged about 50 million years ago. Cetaceans range in size from the 1 m and 50 kg Mauis dolphin to the 29.9 m and 190,000 kg blue whale and they have streamlined bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Dolphins are able to very tight turns while swimming at high speeds. The hindlimbs of cetaceans are internal, and are thought to be vestigial, baleen whales have short hairs on their mouth, unlike the toothed whales. Cetaceans have well-developed senses—their eyesight and hearing are adapted for both air and water, and baleen whales have a system in their vibrissae. They have a layer of fat, or blubber, under the skin to maintain body heat in cold water, Some species are well adapted for diving to great depths. Although cetaceans are widespread, most species prefer the waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They spend their lives in the water, having to mate, give birth, molt or escape predators, like killer whales. This has drastically affected their anatomy to be able to do so and they feed largely on fish and marine invertebrates, but a few, like the killer whale, feed on large mammals and birds, such as penguins and seals. Some baleen whales are specialised for feeding on benthic creatures, male cetaceans typically mate with more than one female, although the degree of polygyny varies with the species. Cetaceans are not shown to have pair bonds, male cetacean strategies for reproductive success vary between herding females, defending potential mates from other males, or whale song which attracts mates. Calves are typically born in the fall and winter months, cetaceans produce a number of vocalizations, notably the clicks and whistles of dolphins, the moaning songs of the humpback whale. The meat, blubber and oil of cetaceans have traditionally used by indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Cetaceans have been depicted in cultures worldwide. Dolphins are commonly kept in captivity and are sometimes trained to perform tricks and tasks
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Baleen whale
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Baleen whales, known earlier as whalebone whales, form a parvorder of the infraorder Cetacea. They are a widely distributed and diverse parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals, Mysticeti comprise the families Balaenidae, Balaenopteridae, Cetotheriidae, and Eschrichtiidae. There are currently 15 species of baleen whale, while cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from mesonychids, molecular evidence supports them as relatives of even-toed ungulates. Baleen whales split from toothed whales around 34 million years ago, baleen whales range in size from the 20 ft and 6,600 lb pygmy right whale to the 112 ft and 190 t blue whale, which is also the largest creature on earth. Baleen whales can have streamlined or large bodies, depending on the feeding behavior, though not as flexible and agile as seals, baleen whales can swim very fast, with the fastest able to travel at 23 miles per hour. Baleen whales use their baleen plates to filter out food from the water by either lunge-feeding or skim-feeding, baleen whales have fused neck vertebrae, and are unable to turn their head at all. Some species are adapted for diving to great depths. They have a layer of fat, or blubber, under the skin to keep warm in the cold water, although baleen whales are widespread, most species prefer the colder waters around the Northern and Southern poles. Gray whales are specialized for feeding on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, rorquals are specialized at lunge-feeding, and have a streamlined body to reduce drag while accelerating. Right whales skim-feed, meaning they use their head to effectively take in a large amount of water. Males typically mate more than one female, although the degree of polygyny varies with the species. Male strategies for reproductive success vary between performing ritual displays or lek mating, calves are typically born in the winter and spring months and females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers fast for a long period of time over the period of migration. Baleen whales produce a number of vocalizations, notably the songs of the humpback whale, the meat, blubber, baleen, and oil of baleen whales have traditionally been used by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Once relentlessly hunted by commercial industries for these products, cetaceans are now protected by international law, however, the North Atlantic right whale is ranked critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Besides hunting, baleen whales also face threats from marine pollution and it has been speculated that man-made sonar results in strandings. They have rarely been kept in captivity, and this has only attempted with juveniles or members of one of the smallest species. Baleen whales are classified under the parvorder Mysticeti, and consist of four extant families, Balaenidae, Balaenopteridae, Cetotheriidae
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Humpback whale
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The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger species, adults range in length from 12–16 m. The humpback has a body shape, with long pectoral fins. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers, males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating, found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 km each year. Humpbacks feed in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth when they fast and their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net technique. Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry, once hunted to the brink of extinction, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a 1966 moratorium. While stocks have partially recovered, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, the rorquals are believed to have diverged from the other families of the suborder Mysticeti as long ago as the middle Miocene. However, it is not known when the members of these families diverged from each other, though clearly related to the giant whales of the genus Balaenoptera, the humpback is the sole member of its genus. The humpback was first identified as de la Nouvelle Angleterre by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in his Regnum Animale of 1756. In 1781, Georg Heinrich Borowski described the species, converting Brissons name to its Latin equivalent, in 1804, Lacépède shifted the humpback from the family Balaenidae, renaming it B. jubartes. In 1846, John Edward Gray created the genus Megaptera, classifying the humpback as Megaptera longipinna, the common name is derived from the curving of their backs when diving. The generic name Megaptera from the Greek mega-/μεγα- giant and ptera/πτερα wing, the specific name means New Englander and was probably given by Brisson due to regular sightings of humpbacks off the coast of New England. Some biologists believe that these should be regarded as separate subspecies, humpbacks can easily be identified by their stocky body, obvious hump, black dorsal coloring and elongated pectoral fins. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, the fluked tail, which typically rises above the surface when diving, has wavy trailing edges. Humpbacks have 270 to 400 darkly colored baleen plates on each side of their mouths, the plates measure from 18 in in the front to about 3 ft in the back, behind the hinge. Ventral grooves run from the jaw to the umbilicus, about halfway along the underside of the body
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Blue whale
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The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whales. At up to 30 metres in length and with a recorded weight of 173 tonnes and probably reaching over 181 tonnes. Long and slender, the whales body can be various shades of bluish-grey dorsally. B. m. indica, found in the Indian Ocean, as with other baleen whales, its diet consists almost exclusively of small crustaceans known as krill. Blue whales were abundant in all the oceans on Earth until the beginning of the twentieth century. For over a century, they were hunted almost to extinction by whalers until protected by the community in 1966. A2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales worldwide, the IUCN estimates that there are probably between 10,000 and 25,000 blue whales worldwide today. Before whaling, the largest population was in the Antarctic, numbering approximately 239,000, there remain only much smaller concentrations in each of the eastern North Pacific, Antarctic, and Indian Ocean groups. There are two groups in the North Atlantic, and at least two in the Southern Hemisphere. As of 2014, the Eastern North Pacific blue whale population had rebounded to nearly its pre-hunting population, Blue whales are rorquals, a family that includes the humpback whale, the fin whale, Brydes whale, the sei whale, and the minke whale. The family Balaenopteridae is believed to have diverged from the families of the suborder Mysticeti as long ago as the middle Oligocene. It is not known when the members of those families diverged from each other, the blue whale is usually classified as one of eight species in the genus Balaenoptera, one authority places it in a separate monotypic genus, Sibbaldus, but this is not accepted elsewhere. If further research confirms these relationships, it will be necessary to reclassify the rorquals, there have been at least 11 documented cases of blue whale-fin whale hybrid adults in the wild. Arnason and Gullberg describe the distance between a blue and a fin as about the same as that between a human and a gorilla. Researchers working off Fiji believe they photographed a hybrid humpback-blue whale including the discovery through DNA analysis from a sample found in a Japanese market. The first published description of the whale comes from Robert Sibbalds Phalainologia Nova. In September 1692, Sibbald found a whale that had stranded in the Firth of Forth – a male 24 m long – that had black, horny plates. The specific name musculus is Latin and could mean muscle, carl Linnaeus, who named the species in his seminal Systema Naturae of 1758, would have known this and may have intended the ironic double meaning
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Pygmy blue whale
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The pygmy blue whale is a subspecies of the blue whale found in the Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean. According to observations made since the subspecies was first described in 1966, pygmy blue whales reach sexual maturity at 10 years of age and a length of 19.2 meters, weighing on average 52.5 tonnes. As adults, males average 21.1 meters and females 21.9 meters, the calculated average weight is 75.5 tonnes for males and 90 tonnes for females. A whale at the known size of 79 feet would weigh in the range of 129.5 tonnes. Pygmy blue whales also tend to be darker than the subspecies of blue whales. The pygmy blue whale is the one of the three identifiable subspecies to be found regularly in tropical waters. It is now thought to be the subspecies as the pygmy blue whale. Pygmy blue whales are believed to be more numerous than the other subspecies, the pygmy blue whale formed from a founder group of Antarctic blue whales about 20,000 years ago, around the Last Glacial Maximum. This is likely because blue whales were driven north by expanding ice, the pygmy blue whales evolutionarily recent origins cause it to have a relatively low genetic diversity. MNZ MM002191, collected Motutapu Island, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, September 1994
