Ponui Island
![]() ![]() Ponui Island Location in New Zealand | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°52′S 175°11′E / 36.867°S 175.183°ECoordinates: 36°52′S 175°11′E / 36.867°S 175.183°E |
Area | 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 173 m (568 ft) |
Highest point | Ponui |
Administration | |
Ponui Island (also known as Chamberlin's Island) is a privately owned island located in the Hauraki Gulf, to the east of the city of Auckland, New Zealand.[1] It is located to the southeast of Waiheke Island, at the eastern end of the Tamaki Strait, which separates the island from the Hunua Ranges on the mainland to the south.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Fluttering_Shearwaters_Hauraki_Gulf_New_Zealand_Aotearoa.jpg/220px-Fluttering_Shearwaters_Hauraki_Gulf_New_Zealand_Aotearoa.jpg)
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long night" for Pōnui.[2] The island is the site of some of the earliest archaeological remains of early Māori in the Auckland region, dating to at least the 1400s.[3]
The island has an area of 18 km2 and has been farmed by the Chamberlin family since 1853.[4][5] The island now consists of three farms, two owned by the Chamberlin family and one by John Spencer.[4] The only permanent inhabitants (nine in the 2001 census) are associated with the farms which are predominantly used for sheep.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Ponui-hills.jpg/220px-Ponui-hills.jpg)
The island is a popular site for youth camps for organisations such as Scouts. Crusader camps (now under the banner of Scripture Union) have been held on the island since 1932.[6]
The island is the home of New Zealand's only feral donkey breed, the Ponui donkey. It also has a large population of kiwi.[4][7]
Shipwrecks[]
Ponui Island is home to the Shipwreck of the Pupuke.[citation needed]
References[]
- ^ "Ponui Island (Chamberlins Island), Auckland - NZ Topo Map". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
- ^ Davidson, Janet M. (1978). "Auckland Prehistory: A Review". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 15: 1–14. ISSN 0067-0464.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Lee, Mike (25 April 2011). Rediscovered! Ponui Island’s ‘lost tribe’ of kiwi.
- ^ TANK 25, 1979: AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY FIELD CLUB SCIENTIFIC TRIP TO PONUI ISLAND, AUGUST 1978
- ^ Scripture Union: The Ponui Story
- ^ ResearchSpace at The University of Auckland: The ecology of ship rats (Rattus rattus) on Ponui Island: implications for North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
- Islands of the Hauraki Gulf
- Islands of the Auckland Region
- Private islands of New Zealand
- Auckland Region geography stubs