D'Urville Island (), Māori name ' ('red heavens look to the south'), is an island in the Marlborough Sounds along the northern coast of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. It was named after the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. With an area of approximately , it is the eighth-largest island of New Zealand, and has around 52 permanent residents. The local authority is the Marlborough District Council.

History

The official name of the island is Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island, with the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

name, associated with Kupe, meaning "Red Heavens Look to the South". The island was a traditional source of argillite (''pakohe''), used in the production of stone tools such as adzes during the Archaic period (1300–1500). From the 1600s until the early 1800s, the island was a part of the rohe of Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri. In the present day, the island is within the rohe of Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Kuia.

Geography

The island has a convoluted coastline, as is frequently found with islands formed from peaks between sea-drowned valleys. It extends for some northeast/southwest, and is a little over wide at its widest point. The eastern coast of the island is relatively smooth, marked mainly by the small D'Urville Peninsula, some halfway along its length. In contrast, the west coast is marked by three large inlets: Port Hardy in the north, Greville Harbour in the centre, and Manuhakapakapa in the south. Numerous smaller islands lie off the coast, notably Stephens Island, which lies off D'Urville's northernmost point, Cape Stephens. The island's highest point, Takapōtaka / Attempt Hill () lies close to the centre of the island, due east of Greville Harbour. Most of the island's residents live close to the more sheltered east coast, with the localities of Patuki and Mukahanga being close to the northern tip of the island.

French Pass

The island is separated from the mainland by the dangerous

French Pass French Pass (; officially Te Aumiti / French Pass) is a narrow and treacherous stretch of water that separates D'Urville Island, at the north end of the South Island of New Zealand, from the mainland coast. At one end is Tasman Bay, and at the ot ...

, known to Māori as Te Aumiti, through which water passes at up to at each tide. Several vortices occur near this passage. d'Urville investigated the passage for several days in 1827, and damaged his ship passing through it.

Flora and Fauna

There is roughly 6,000ha of public conservation land on D'urville Island, this is mainly through the centre of the island. The conservation land consists of regenerating farmland, coastal broadleaf, and beech forest. D'Urville Island is free of possums, feral goats, ship rats, Norway rats and, weasels making it important ecologically Red Deer and feral pigs are present on the Island and a permit can be obtained from the New Zealand

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

to hunt on the public conservation land. Stoats on the island has caused the local extinction of the little spotted kiwi, South Island kākā and yellow eyed kakariki. D'Urville Island Stoat Eradication Charitable Trust started in 2003 to attempt remove stoats from the island. A large scale stoat eradication programme was funded for the Island but after issues with land access the funding was withdrawn There is a population of the rare South Island long-tailed bat on the island.

Transport

Air

A small

maintained airstrip is located at Moawhitu,

Greville Harbour Greville or Gréville may refer to: Places *Gréville-Hague, in the Manche ''département'', France *Port Greville, Nova Scotia, Canada People First name *Greville Janner (1928–2015), British Labour Party politician and alleged child abuser * ...

. Pelorus Air has flights to D'Urville Island from Picton, Wellington and Paraparaumu.

Boat

A barge service is operated b
D'Urville Island Crossings
between

village and the settlement of Kapowai. There is also a water taxi operating between th
D’Urville Island Wilderness Resort
at

Catherine Cove Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

and French Pass. In 2016, Motueka base
Abel Tasman Sea Shuttles
hosted a number of charity cruises around D'Urville Island in conjunction with the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of Motueka.

Tours

Driftwood Eco Tour

take small group tours to D'Urville Island. The tours focus on the heritage and ecology of the island, meeting with local residents to learn about the island's unique features. Driftwood Eco Tours donate each year to 'DISECT' (D'Urville Island Stoat Eradication Trust).

References

External links

d'Urvilles Forgotten Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durville Island, New Zealand Islands of the Marlborough Sounds Populated places in the Marlborough Sounds