Mangere Island
Encyclopedia
Mangere Island is part of the Chatham Islands
archipelago, located 800 kilometres (497 mi) east of New Zealand's
South Island
and has an area of 113 hectares (279 acre). The island lies off the west coast of Pitt Island, 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of the main settlement in the Chathams, Waitangi
, on Chatham Island.
Mangere and nearby Tapuaenuku (Little Mangere
) are the eroded remains of an ancient volcano
of pliocene
age. The island's highest point, Whakapa, is 292 metres (958 ft) above sea level
.
Forested until the 1890s, the island was largely cleared for sheep grazing. Rabbit
s and then cat
s were also introduced but later died out. Farmed until 1966, the island was then purchased by the New Zealand government and gazetted as a Nature Reserve. The last sheep were removed in 1968 and restoration
of the island started in 1973 and is ongoing. Several endemic Chatham Island bird species have since been reintroduced to the island, Chatham Snipe in 1970, Black Robin
in 1976, Chatham Island Tomtit
in 1987 and Shore Plover
in the 1990s.
Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands are an archipelago and New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean consisting of about ten islands within a radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Their name in the indigenous language, Moriori, means Misty Sun...
archipelago, located 800 kilometres (497 mi) east of New Zealand's
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
and has an area of 113 hectares (279 acre). The island lies off the west coast of Pitt Island, 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of the main settlement in the Chathams, Waitangi
Waitangi, Chatham Islands
Waitangi is the main port and settlement on the Chatham Islands. It is located on the southern shore of Petre Bay, on the west coast of the main island...
, on Chatham Island.
Mangere and nearby Tapuaenuku (Little Mangere
Little Mangere Island
Little Mangere Island or Tapuaenuku is part of the Chatham Islands chain, located east of New Zealand's South Island. The island lies off the west coast of Pitt Island, south-east of the chain's main settlement, Waitangi, on Chatham Island...
) are the eroded remains of an ancient volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
of pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
age. The island's highest point, Whakapa, is 292 metres (958 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
Forested until the 1890s, the island was largely cleared for sheep grazing. Rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s and then cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s were also introduced but later died out. Farmed until 1966, the island was then purchased by the New Zealand government and gazetted as a Nature Reserve. The last sheep were removed in 1968 and restoration
Island restoration
The ecological restoration of islands, or island restoration, is the application of the principles of ecological restoration to islands and island groups. Islands, due to their isolation, are home to many of the world's endemic species, as well as important breeding grounds for seabirds and some...
of the island started in 1973 and is ongoing. Several endemic Chatham Island bird species have since been reintroduced to the island, Chatham Snipe in 1970, Black Robin
Black Robin
The Black Robin or Chatham Island Robin is an endangered bird from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand. It is closely related to the New Zealand Robin . It was first described by Walter Buller in 1872. The binomial commemorates the New Zealand botanist Henry H. Travers...
in 1976, Chatham Island Tomtit
Chatham Island Tomtit
The Chatham Island Tomtit is a subspecies of Tomtit found on some of the smaller islands of New Zealand....
in 1987 and Shore Plover
Shore Plover
The Shore Dotterel or Shore Plover is a small species of Plover endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is Tuturuatu....
in the 1990s.