L'Esperance Rock

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L'Esperance Rock
L'Esperance Rock DSC 2097.jpg
The rock from northeast
Karta NZ Kermadec isl.PNG
L'Esperance Rock in the south of the Kermadec Islands
Geography
Coordinates31°26′S 178°54′W / 31.433°S 178.900°W / -31.433; -178.900Coordinates: 31°26′S 178°54′W / 31.433°S 178.900°W / -31.433; -178.900
ArchipelagoKermadec Islands
Area4.8 ha (12 acres)
Highest elevation70 m (230 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population0

L'Esperance Rock, formerly known as French Rock and Brind Rock,[1](named after William Brind) is the southernmost islet in the Kermadec Islands, to the north of New Zealand. It is 80 km (50 mi) south of Curtis Island and 600 km (370 mi) northeast of East Cape on New Zealand's North Island. The smaller L'Havre Rock lies 8 km (5 mi) to the north-west of L'Esperance; it is a reef that barely reaches the surface. L'Esperance Rock is 250 m (820 ft) in diameter with an area of 4.8 ha (12 acres). It rises to a height of 70 m (230 ft).

Important Bird Area[]

The island forms part of the Kermadec Islands Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because it is an important site for nesting seabirds.[2] It is the site of a substantial breeding colony of grey noddies. Masked boobies have also been recorded breeding there.[3]

Flora[]

As well as other plants, there is an endemic conifer on the rock, Senecio esperensis.[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Brind, William Darby". www.teara.govt.nz.
  2. ^ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kermadec Islands. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-03.
  3. ^ Greene et al. (2004).
  4. ^ PJ de Lange, CS Liew, JR Rolfe & PB Pelser (2015). "Senecio esperensis (Asteraceae: Senecioneae)—a new combination for the L'Esperance Rock groundsel, Kermadec Islands". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 53 (3): 131–138. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2015.1039552.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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