Snares Islands

Coordinates: 48°01′S 166°32′E / 48.017°S 166.533°E / -48.017; 166.533
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Snares Islands / Tini Heke
)

Snares Islands
The Snares Islands seen from the northeast, with Broughton Island on the left and Daption Rocks on the right
Map of the Snares Islands
Snares Islands is located in Pacific Ocean
Snares Islands
Snares Islands
Location of the Snares Islands in the Pacific Ocean
Geography
Coordinates48°01′S 166°32′E / 48.017°S 166.533°E / -48.017; 166.533
Area3.4[1] km2 (1.3 sq mi)
Highest elevation130 m (430 ft)
Administration
New Zealand
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited (2013)

The Snares Islands (

Western Chain Islands some 5 km (3.1 mi) to the west-southwest. Collectively, the Snares have a total land area of 3.4 km2 (1.3 sq mi).[1]

The islands are listed with the

district, but instead Area Outside Territorial Authority, like all the other outlying islands except the Solander Islands
.

History

The islands were already known to the Māori, who called one of the larger islands Te Taniwha ("The sea-monster"). The island group was first sighted by Europeans on 23 November 1791 independently by the two ships

William R. Broughton, both of the Vancouver Expedition. Vancouver named the islands "The Snares" because he considered them a shipping hazard; an islet east of the Western Chain bears the name Vancouver Rock, and the second largest island is named after Broughton.[1]

In contrast to Vancouver, Broughton proposed the name "Knight's Island".[3] 

Unlike other 
subantarctic islands that were greatly affected by the whaling and sealing
 industry in the 19th century, the Snares remain one of the last pristine areas in New Zealand.

The Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 officially altered the name to "Snares Islands/Tini Heke" – one of many such changes under the Ngāi Tahu Treaty settlement.[4]

Geography

Ho Ho Bay — with Yacht Tiama anchored inside — a view looking north
Southern Buller's albatross nesting above "Penguin Slope" — 6 April 2008
Looking south across Punui Bay, Ho Ho Bay and Mollymawk Bay, with Broughton Island the last wooded land.

The main island of the Snares group, North East Island, as its name suggests, lies at the northeastern corner of the group. It has roughly the shape of a triangle, but with two concave edges, this causing both the southern and northwestern coast to be in the form of large irregular bays. Cliffs and reefs are found along the northeastern coast and part of the southern coast, with the island's highest point – rising to 130 metres – being located on the long westward-pointing finger which lies between them.[5]

In contrast, the east coast is relatively flat and sloping, and provides the only easy access-point for landing, close to Station Point. Several small bays dot the east coast, among them Punui Bay, Ho Ho Bay, and Mollymawk Bay. The island's northernmost and southernmost points are the prosaically named North Promontory and South Promontory. Several small islets, the Daption Rocks, lie off the tip of North Promontory, and are the island group's northernmost point.[6]

The group's second largest island,

Broughton Island, lies to the southeast of South Promontory. Steeply sloping, it is surrounded by cliffs, reefs and small islets on three sides, with only the northern side being relatively accessible.[6]

The long finger on the western coast of the main island has several small islands located close to its tip. The largest of these,

Western Chain, a line of stacks located some 4 kilometres to the southwest of the main island. These islets are simply named Tahi, Rua, Toru, Wha, and Rima, the Māori words for the numerals one to five. Between this chain and North East island lies the small stack of Vancouver Rock.[6]

Islands

The following table includes named islands according to Land Information New Zealand.[7]

Location Area
(ha)		 Group
North East Island 290.4
Broughton Island 41.5
Alert Stack 9.0
Daption Rocks 2.4
Vancouver Rock 0.02
Tahi 7.6 Western Chain
Toru 6.8
Rima 3.4
Rua 2.9
Wha 2.6
Western Chain 23.3
Total
 366.6

Environment

All of the Snares islands and their surrounding waters have been recognised as

endemic Snares tomtit, as well as to several endemic invertebrates such as Grypotheca horningae
.

North East Island is forested and is the world's premier breeding area for the sooty shearwaters, with up to three million individuals being present during the breeding season (November–April). A dangerous reef (Seal Reef) lies ten kilometres to the south of the group. Megaherb communities grow on the islands.

The islands enjoy a status of high protection and are rated by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as "minimum impact islands".[10] Landing on the islands is generally prohibited or by special research permit only.

The area is among five subantarctic island groups forming the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[11]

See also

icon Islands portal

References

  1. ^ a b c "Snares Islands". doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  2. ^ "New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names - Offshore islands". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  3. ^ Vancouver, George (1798). A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World. Vol. 1. London: G.G. & J. Robinson, and J. Edwards. p. 83.
  4. ^ "Schedule 96 Alteration of place names". New Zealand Legislation. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  5. ^ ""New Zealand offshore islands maps - SI01 Snares Islands/Tini Heke"". Land Information New Zealand. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b c NZMS 272/1+5 (1981) "Snares Islands and Bounty Islands", Wellington:NZ Government Department of Lands and Surveys.
  7. ^ "NZ Primary Parcels". linz.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Snares (eastern islands)". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Western Chain". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Subantarctic Islands: Subantarctic places to visit". Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  11. ^ New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands - UNESCO World Heritage Centre>

48°01′S 166°32′E / 48.017°S 166.533°E / -48.017; 166.533

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