Stephens Island, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Stephens Island is at the northern most tip of the Marlborough Sounds
in the South Island
of New Zealand
. It lies two kilometres to the northeast of Cape Stephens, the northernmost point of D'Urville Island
. The Māori call the island Takapourewa but Stephens Island is the commonly used name. The island is just 1.84 square kilometre (0.710427971810264 sq mi) in size, but rises 305 metres (1,001 ft) high from the sea.
A lighthouse keeper's cat, "Tibbles", is infamously known for killing all Stephens Island Wren
s and causing the extinction
of the species in 1894. However, much of this account is an urban legend
; while the species was killed off by the lighthouse personnel's cats, which had gone feral, this happened not in 1894, and the island was only the last refuge of the bird, which had become extinct on the mainland many centuries earlier due to Polynesian rat
predation (see Galbreath & Brown, 2004).
Today, the best known residents of Stephens Island are the tuatara
- the island is a sanctuary
for this rare type of reptile
, now extinct on the mainland (except in tightly controlled reserves including ecological island
s).
Takapourewa is internationally important for nature conservation. While most attention has focused on tuatara, the significant and unique factors include:
In natural character, Takapourewa is a rugged landmass dominated by maritime influences. Visually the island is connected to the adjacent larger D’Urville Island
, and Takapourewa is the largest of the family of islands, islets and rock stacks that characterise this south-western side of Cook Strait. The island has been extensively modified by land clearance and farming, but retains much of its wild natural character. From sea level the lighthouse is a prominent visual feature, while from the air the cluster of buildings and farmed landscape are obvious.
The surrounding sea is rich with marine life, albeit strongly modified and depleted by fishing, and historically by hunting of whales and seals. The island overlooks one of the great whale migration routes. Marine mammals such as New Zealand fur seal
s and various dolphin
species are seen around the island.
This is an area of strong winds (mean annual wind speed 14 kn (17 mph; 27.4 km/h)), strong currents and broken restless seas. The island also harbours strong gradations of weather between the often cloud-covered summit and the wave-lashed shores. There are also distinct differences between the relatively more exposed western and the less exposed eastern shores. Rainfall averages a modest 800 mm (31.5 in).
Takapourewa is an area of natural noise rather than natural quiet, with the wind and the abundant birdlife dominating.
Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand...
in the 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...
of New Zealand
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...
. It lies two kilometres to the northeast of Cape Stephens, the northernmost point of D'Urville Island
D'Urville Island, New Zealand
D'Urville Island is an island in the Marlborough Sounds along the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was named after the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. With an area of approximately , it is the eighth-largest island of New Zealand, and has around 52 permanent...
. The Māori call the island Takapourewa but Stephens Island is the commonly used name. The island is just 1.84 square kilometre (0.710427971810264 sq mi) in size, but rises 305 metres (1,001 ft) high from the sea.
A lighthouse keeper's cat, "Tibbles", is infamously known for killing all Stephens Island Wren
Stephens Island Wren
The Stephens Island Wren or Lyall's Wren was a nocturnal, flightless, insectivorous passerine.-Habitat:...
s and causing the extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
of the species in 1894. However, much of this account is an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
; while the species was killed off by the lighthouse personnel's cats, which had gone feral, this happened not in 1894, and the island was only the last refuge of the bird, which had become extinct on the mainland many centuries earlier due to Polynesian rat
Polynesian Rat
The Polynesian Rat, or Pacific Rat , known to the Māori as kiore, is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the Brown Rat and Black Rat. The Polynesian Rat originates in Southeast Asia but, like its cousins, has become well travelled – infiltrating Fiji and most Polynesian...
predation (see Galbreath & Brown, 2004).
Today, the best known residents of Stephens Island are the tuatara
Tuatara
The tuatara is a reptile endemic to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia. The two species of tuatara are the only surviving members of its order, which flourished around 200 million years ago. Their most recent common...
- the island is a sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
for this rare type of reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
, now extinct on the mainland (except in tightly controlled reserves including ecological island
Ecological island
An ecological island is not necessarily an island surrounded by water, but is an area of land, isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists amidst a larger differing ecosystem....
s).
Takapourewa is internationally important for nature conservation. While most attention has focused on tuatara, the significant and unique factors include:
- Endemic species – those found nowhere else, either because they evolved here or because they have become extinct everywhere else – such as Hamilton's Frog, perhaps the rarest frog in the world and the Ngaio Weevil, a large flightless Weevil
- Unusual species such as tuatara - members of the genus Sphenodon being the sole survivors of a group of reptiles that otherwise appears to have been extinct elsewhere in the world for more than 60 million years
- Rare species – such as the striped geckoGeckoGeckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
and Cook Strait click beetleClick beetleThe family Elateridae is commonly called click beetles , elaters, snapping beetles, spring beetles or "skipjacks". They are a cosmopolitan beetle family characterized by the unusual click mechanism they possess...
that are only found in a handful of other places, and for which Takapourewa is a stronghold - Common species in unusual abundance – such as the more than one million seabirds, vast numbers of wetaWetaWeta is the name given to about 70 insect species endemic to New Zealand. There are many similar species around the world, though most are in the southern hemisphere. The name comes from the Māori word 'wētā' and is the same in the plural...
s and darkling beetleDarkling beetleDarkling beetles are a family of beetles found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra, leading to their common name...
s and many more - Outstanding ecological features – Takapourewa has been calculated to have the greatest density of top predatorApex predatorApex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Zoologists define predation as the killing and consumption of another organism...
s both in numbers and biomass of any piece of land on Earth (calculated by the author and published in New Scientist C1996) - Takapourewa is a part of a complex ecosystem that includes a vast area of ocean. An enormous number of seabirdSeabirdSeabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s link this small (154 ha) island to a vast marine ecosystemEcosystemAn ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
. The sea provides nutrients, the seabirds carry these to the island and Takapourewa provides a sanctuary for nesting birds, free of mammalian land predators.
In natural character, Takapourewa is a rugged landmass dominated by maritime influences. Visually the island is connected to the adjacent larger D’Urville Island
D'Urville Island, New Zealand
D'Urville Island is an island in the Marlborough Sounds along the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was named after the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. With an area of approximately , it is the eighth-largest island of New Zealand, and has around 52 permanent...
, and Takapourewa is the largest of the family of islands, islets and rock stacks that characterise this south-western side of Cook Strait. The island has been extensively modified by land clearance and farming, but retains much of its wild natural character. From sea level the lighthouse is a prominent visual feature, while from the air the cluster of buildings and farmed landscape are obvious.
The surrounding sea is rich with marine life, albeit strongly modified and depleted by fishing, and historically by hunting of whales and seals. The island overlooks one of the great whale migration routes. Marine mammals such as New Zealand fur seal
New Zealand Fur Seal
The Australian fur seal , or New Zealand fur seal or southern fur seal, is a species of fur seal found around the south coast of Australia, the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there...
s and various dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
species are seen around the island.
This is an area of strong winds (mean annual wind speed 14 kn (17 mph; 27.4 km/h)), strong currents and broken restless seas. The island also harbours strong gradations of weather between the often cloud-covered summit and the wave-lashed shores. There are also distinct differences between the relatively more exposed western and the less exposed eastern shores. Rainfall averages a modest 800 mm (31.5 in).
Takapourewa is an area of natural noise rather than natural quiet, with the wind and the abundant birdlife dominating.