New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

consists of more than six hundred islands, mainly remnants of a larger land mass now beneath the sea. New Zealand is the seventh-largest

island nation An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

on earth, and the third-largest located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. The following is a list of islands of New Zealand. The two largest islands – where most of the human population lives – have names in both English and in 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 ...

. They are the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

or ''Te Ika-a-Māui'' and 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 ...

or ''Te Waipounamu''. Various Māori

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

sometimes use other names, with some preferring to call the South Island ''Te Waka o Aoraki''. The two islands are separated by

Cook Strait Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A H, ...

. In general practice, the term ''mainland'' refers to the North Island and South Island. However, the South Island alone is sometimes called "the mainland" – especially by its residents, as a nickname – because it is the larger of the two main islands. To the south of the South Island,

Stewart Island / Rakiura Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

is the largest of the smaller islands, and

Waiheke Island Waiheke Island (; Māori: ) is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most pop ...

in the urban

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...

has the largest population of the smaller islands.

Listed by size

The following table lists the largest islands of New Zealand by area. River delta islands such as

Rakaia Island Rakaia is a town seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57 km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the ...

(), Fereday Island,

Rangitata Island Rangitata Island is a long lens-shaped island in the delta of the braided Rangitata River in Canterbury, New Zealand, approximately halfway between Timaru and Ashburton, New Zealand. The island is approximately long and about wide at its wides ...

, and

Inch Clutha Inch Clutha is a large, flat island sitting in the delta between the Matau (northern) and Koau (southern) branches of the Clutha River, downstream from the town of Balclutha in the South Island of New Zealand. Approximately long and wide, th ...

(approximately , , and respectively) are omitted, as are temporary islands in

braided river A braided river, or braided channel, consists of a network of river channels separated by small, often temporary, islands called braid bars or, in English usage, ''aits'' or ''eyots''. Braided streams tend to occur in rivers with high sediment l ...

channels and tidal islands such as

Rabbit Island, Nelson Moturoa / Rabbit Island is a small island that lies across the southernmost part of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, on the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island. The long narrow island runs east–west for , and covers . It lies opposi ...

(). The country's largest island within a lake,

Pomona Island Pomona Island is the largest island within Lake Manapouri, in Fiordland National Park, in New Zealand's South Island. With an area of , it is the largest island to be found within any New Zealand lake. The island is uninhabited, and lies clos ...

, has an area of just .Pomona Island Charitable Trust
Department of Conservation. Retrieved 22 November 2010.

Listed by highest point

The following table lists the islands of New Zealand by their highest elevation. These islands are all in harbours or the open sea. The country's tallest island within a lake, Pomona Island, rises to above sea level, which is about above Lake Manapouri's normal lake level.

In harbours and the open sea

* Aiguilles Island *

Aldermen Islands The Aldermen Islands are a small group of rocky islets to the southeast of Mercury Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. They are located off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, east of the mouth of the Tairua River. The islands were nam ...

* Allports Island * Amerikiwhati Island * Anatakupu Island *

Anchor Island Anchor Island ( mi, Pukenui) is an island in Dusky Sound in Fiordland. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "large hill" for . The island is situated southwest of the much larger Resolution Island in th ...

* Anchorage Island *

Aorangaia Island Aorangaia Island is an island in the Northland Region of New Zealand, part of the Poor Knights Islands. It has a highest point of and is from the New Zealand mainland. See also * List of islands of New Zealand * List of islands * Desert island ...

Araara Island Araara Island is an island in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It is one of the Hen and Chicken Islands, lying immediately south and east of Mauitaha (West Chicken). See also * List of islands of New Zealand * List of islands * Desert island ...

Arakaninihi Island Arakaninihi Island is a small island in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It lies off Taiharuru Head, directly east of Whangārei. See also * List of islands of New Zealand * List of islands * Desert island References Un ...

* Arapaoa Island *

Aroha Island Aroha Island is a small island near Rangitane, which is about by road from Kerikeri in the Kerikeri Inlet, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand. The island covers an area of 12 ha. It is owned and managed by the Queen Elizabeth II National T ...

* Aua / King Billy Island * Awarua Rock *

Bauza Island Bauza Island () lies immediately south of the much larger Secretary Island in the outer reaches of Doubtful Sound / Patea, in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island. The less than one kilometre wide Patea passage to the south of t ...

* Bells Island * Bench Island * Bests Island * Blumine Island / Ōruawairua * Breaksea Island * The Brothers * Browns Island (Motukorea) *

Calliope Island Calliope Island is an unofficial name for an island near Whangārei, New Zealand. The tiny, roughly triangular-shaped island, is located in Urquhart Bay, just within the mouth of Whangārei Harbour Whangārei Harbour is a large harbour on ...

, Whangarei Heads * Catherine Island,

Charles Sound Taiporoporo / Charles Sound is a fiord of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the fiords that form the coast of Fiordland. Geography The fiord is located between Taitetimu / Caswell Sound and Hinenui / Nancy Sound, on the centra ...

Cavalli Islands The Cavalli Islands are a small group of islands near Whangaroa on Northland's East Coast in northern New Zealand. They lie to the east of Matauri Bay on the mainland. The group consists of the island of Motukawanui (area ) and the smaller isl ...

* Chalky Island * Chetwode Islands * Coal Island * Codfish Island / Whenua Hou * Cooper Island * Dog Island *

Cuvier Island Cuvier Island is a small uninhabited island off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the seaward end of the Colville Channel, north of the Mercury Islands and approximately south-east of Great Barrier Island. The island ...

Dragon Island Dragon Island is a small privately owned island just outside Harataonga Bay, on the northeast coast of Great Barrier Island, located to the northeast of Auckland, in New Zealand. The island provides Harataonga Bay with shelter from easterly a ...

* Eleanor Island,

* Elizabeth Island * Fanny Island,

* Fisherman Island * Forsyth Island * Frenchman Island, Whangarei Heads * Goat Island / Rakiriri * Great Barrier Island/Aotea *

Great Island Great Island () is an island in Cork Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lee and close to the city of Cork, Ireland. The largest town on the island is Cobh (called Queenstown from 1849 to 1922). The island's economic and social history has histo ...

* Green Island (Okaihe) * Green Island *

Guano Island, Whangarei Heads Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of Seabird, seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant ...

Hen and Chicken Islands The Hen and Chicken Islands (usually known collectively as the ''Hen and Chickens'') lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They lie east of Bream Head and south-east of Whangarei with a total ...

High Island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

* Herald Island * Horomaka Island * Indian Island * Kaikōura Island *

Kapiti Island Kapiti Island () is an island about off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of . Its name has been used s ...

Kārewa / Gannet Island Kārewa / Gannet Island () is a small island some offshore from Kawhia on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Description The island consists of the eroded remnant of a tuff ring, erupted about half a million years ago. It is cons ...

* Karewa Island *

Kawau Island Kawau Island is in the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. At its closest point it lies off the coast of the Northland Peninsula, just south of Tāwharanui Peninsula, and about ...

* Kopuahingahinga Island,

Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burne ...

Long Island, Marlborough Long Island is located in Queen Charlotte Sound, one of the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand. James Cook recorded its original name as Hamote. The island is long and thin - just over in area with a length of (the long axis being aligned n ...

Long Island (Southland) Long Island is an island in Fiordland, in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island. It lies within Dusky Sound, to the southeast of Resolution Island, and is separated from it and the South island mainland by Bowen Channel to the north, an ...

Mahurangi Island (Goat Island) Mahurangi Island, also known as Goat Island, is located to the north-east of Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. The uninhabited island is 6 hectares in size. ''Mahurangi Island'' forms one corner of the Te Whanganui ...

* Mākaro / Ward Island * Mana Island *

Matakana Island Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. A long, flat barrier island, it is in length but rarely more than wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by Māori tribes that ar ...

* Matapara / Pickersgill Island *

Matiu / Somes Island Matiu / Somes Island is the largest of three islands in the northern half of Wellington Harbour, New Zealand. It is the former site of military and quarantine internments, as well as animal quarantine until 1995. Since 1995 it has been designat ...

* Maud Island/Te Hoiere * Mauitaha Island, Whangarei Heads *

Mayor Island / Tūhua Mayor Island / Tūhua is a dormant shield volcano located off the Bay of Plenty coast of New Zealand's North Island. It lies north of Tauranga and covers . Geography The island is quite steep along its coast and rises to above sea level. A ...

Mercury Islands The Mercury Islands are a group of seven islands off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island. They are located off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, and northeast of the town of Whitianga. History The Ngāti Karaua (a hapu of ...

Mokohinau Islands The Mokohinau Islands (Pokohinau) are a small group of islands that lie off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island. The islands are 100 km (62 mi) northeast of Auckland, northwest of Great Barrier Island and approximately ea ...

* Mokopuna Island *

Mōtītī Island Mōtītī Island is an island in the Bay of Plenty, off the coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is north-east of Papamoa Beach on the mainland and north-east of Tauranga. There were 18 homes occupied by 27 people on the island in the 2006 ...

Motuara Island Motuara Island is a scenic and historical reserve that lies at the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui. It is notable for the actions of James Cook. During 's stay at nearby Meretoto / Ship Cove, Cook climbed to the summit of Motuara, ...

Motuareronui / Adele Island Motuareronui / Adele Island is a small island off the coast of New Zealand. It is contained within Abel Tasman National Park. The navigator and botanist Dumont d'Urville charted the island in 1827. In the 1850s, the island and nearby Fisherman ...

* Motuarohia Island *

Motueka Island (Pigeon Island) Motueka Island, also known by the name Pigeon Island, is an island off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. Geography The island is located 1.5 kilometres north-east of Cathedral Cove, to the east of Mercury Bay. It is tidal ...

* Motuhoa Island,

Tauranga Harbour Tauranga Harbour is the natural tidal harbour that surrounds Tauranga CBD and the Mount Maunganui area of Tauranga, New Zealand, and which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mount Maunganui. The harbour is effectively two flooded river systems separ ...

Motuihe Island Motuihe Island (official name: Motuihe Island / Te Motu-a-Ihenga) lies between Motutapu and Waiheke islands in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, near Auckland. The island measures , of which around are remnants of coastal forest. The island is ...

* Motukaroro Island * Motukawao Islands *

Motukiore Island Horeke ( mi, Hōreke) is a settlement in the upper reaches of the Hokianga Harbour in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. Kohukohu, New Zealand, Kohukohu is just across the harbour. The Horeke basalts are located near the town, and can be vi ...

Parua Bay Parua Bay is a locality and bay on the northern side of the Whangarei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is 19 km to the west, and Whangarei Heads are 10 km to the south east, with Munro Bay between the two. The western he ...

* Motukōkako Island / Piercy Island * Motu Matakohe / Limestone Island *

Motunau Island Motunau Island is a small, , island nature reserve lying off the coast of New Zealand's South Island, at the northern end of Pegasus Bay, south of the mouth of the Motunau River. The reserve is managed by the Department of Conservation (New Ze ...

Motuora Motuora is an island nature reserve in the western Hauraki Gulf, on the north-eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It lies some south-west of Kawau Island, east of Mahurangi Heads and north of the city of Auckland. History Although ...

* Motuoroi Island * Moturaka Island *

Moturoa / Rabbit Island Moturoa / Rabbit Island is a small island that lies across the southernmost part of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, on the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island. The long narrow island runs east–west for , and covers . It lies opposi ...

Moturekareka Island Moturekareka Island is a small island off the southern edge of Kawau Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Motutapu Island Motutapu Island (otherwise known as ''Motutapu'') is a island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. Its full name, rarely used, is ''Te Motutapu a Taikeh ...

* Moutohora Island/Whale Island * Native Island * Ngarango Otainui Island * Ngā Motu / Sugar Loaf Islands * Ninepin Rock,

Noble Island Noble Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in the Howick Group National Park and is about 100 km south-east of Cape Melville, Queensland. It is around 30 hectares or 0.3 square km in size. It was the home of the indigenous ...

*Opahekeheke Island *Open Bay Islands *Ōtamahua / Quail Island *Pakatoa Island *Pakihi Island *Pararekau Island,

*Pearl Island, New Zealand, Pearl Island *Pepin Island (a tied island connected to the South Island, mainland) *Ponui Island *Poor Knights Islands *Portland Island (New Zealand), Portland Island *Pourewa Island *Puketutu Island *Putauhinu Island *Quarantine Island / Kamau Taurua *Rakino Island *Rakitu Island *Rangitoto Island *Rangitoto Islands, Marlborough Sounds *D'Urville Island (New Zealand), Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island *Raratoka Island *Resolution Island (New Zealand), Resolution Island *Ripapa Island *Rotoroa Island *Rurima Rocks, including Rurima Island *Ruapuke Island *Secretary Island *Shark Island (New Zealand), Shark Island,

*Shoe Island / Motuhoa *Simmonds Islands *Slipper Island *

*Stephens Island (New Zealand), Stephens Island / Takapourewa *Stephenson Island (New Zealand), Stephenson Island *

*Taieri Island / Moturata *Takangaroa Island *Taputeranga Island *Tarahiki Island *Tarakanahi Island *Tata Islands *Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island *Little Barrier Island, Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island *Bare Island (New Zealand), Te Motu-o-Kura / Bare Island *Te Hāwere-a-Maki / Goat Island *Tikitiki Island, (The Ninepin), Bay of Islands *Tiritiri Matangi Island *Tītī / Muttonbird Islands *Tonga Island *Ulva Island (New Zealand), Ulva Island *Urupukapuka Island *

*Walker Island (New Zealand), Walker Island *Watchman Island *Whakaari / White Island *Whanganui Island *Whangaokeno / East Island *White Island (Otago) *Wiroa Island,

In rivers and lakes

*Black Jacks Island (in Lake Benmore) *Channel Islands, New Zealand, Channel Islands (in Lake Manapouri) *Dome Islands, New Zealand, Dome Islands (in Lake Te Anau) *Entrance Island, New Zealand, Entrance Island (in Lake Te Anau) * Fereday Island (in the Rakaia River delta) *Harwich Island, New Zealand, Harwich Island (in Lake Wānaka) *Hidden Island, New Zealand, Hidden Island (in Lake Wakatipu) *

(in the Clutha River / Mata-Au, Clutha / Mata-Au delta) *Junction Island (in Lake Benmore) *Karihoa Island (in Waikato River) *Kaiwaka No.1 Island (in Waikato River delta) *Kaiwaka No.2 Island (in Waikato River delta) *Manutahi Island (in Waikato River) *Mary Island, New Zealand, Mary Island (in Lake Hauroko) *Mokoia Island (in Lake Rotorua) *Motakorea Island (in Waikato River) *Motuariki Island (in Lake Tekapo) *Motukakako Island (in Waikato River delta) *Motutaiko Island (in Lake Taupō) *Moutoa Island (in the Whanganui River) *Mou Tapu (in Lake Wānaka) *Mou Waho (in Lake Wānaka) *Motutieke Island (in Waikato River delta) *Namuheiriro Island (in Waikato River) *Ngāhinapōuri Island (in Waikato River delta) *Opuawhanga Island (in Waikato River) *Pigeon Island (New Zealand), Pigeon Island/Wāwāhi Waka (in Lake Wakatipu) *Pig Island, New Zealand, Pig Island/Mātau (in Lake Wakatipu) *

(in Lake Manapouri) *Puehunui Island (in Waikato River delta) *

(in the Rakaia River delta) *

(in the Rangitata River delta) *Rona Island, New Zealand, Rona Island (in Lake Manapouri) *Ruby Island (in Lake Wānaka) *Silver Island (in Lake Hāwea) *Stevensons Island, Stevensons Island/Te Peka Karara (in Lake Wānaka) *Tarahanga Island (in Waikato River) *Tawanui Island (in Waikato River delta) *Te Kopura Island (in Waikato River) *Te Toki Island (in Waikato River) *Te Weranga Okapu Island (in Waikato River delta) *Tree Island, New Zealand, Tree Island (in Lake Wakatipu) *Whatamakiri Island (in Waikato River delta)

Outlying

New Zealand administers the following islands outside the main archipelago. Only the Chatham Islands have a permanent population although others also did in the past. Others host visitors for science, conservation, meteorological observation and tourism. *Chatham Islands **Chatham Island **Forty-Fours **Little Mangere Island **Mangere Island **Pitt Island **The Sisters (New Zealand), The Sisters **Rangatira Island **Star Keys *Kermadec Islands **Cheeseman Island **Curtis Island, New Zealand, Curtis Island **L'Esperance Rock **Macauley Island **Nugent Island **Raoul Island *Solander Islands **Solander Island **Little Solander Island **Pierced Rock *Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands **Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands#Manawatāwhi / Great Island, Manawatāwhi / Great Island **Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands#Oromaki / North East Island, Oromaki / North East Island **Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands#Farmer Rocks, Farmer Rocks **Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands#Moekawa / South West Island, Moekawa / South West Island **Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands#The Princes Islands, Princes Islands **Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands#Ōhau / West Island, Ōhau / West Island Topographical map of the Antipodes Islands in English

Topographical map of the Antipodes Islands in English

The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands are designated as a World Heritage Site. *Antipodes Islands **Antipodes Island **Bollons Island *Auckland Islands **Adams Island, New Zealand, Adams Island **Auckland Island **Disappointment Island **Enderby Island, New Zealand, Enderby Island **Ewing Island, New Zealand, Ewing Island **Rose Island, New Zealand, Rose Island *Bounty Islands *Campbell Island group **Campbell Island, New Zealand, Campbell Island **Dent Island, New Zealand, Dent Island **Folly Island, New Zealand, Folly Island (or Folly Islands) **Jacquemart Island *The Snares **Broughton Island, New Zealand, Broughton Island **North East Island, New Zealand, North East Island **Western Chain, New Zealand, Western Chain

Realm of New Zealand

The following islands are part of the Realm of New Zealand, but are not part of New Zealand proper: *Cook Islands **Aitutaki **Atiu **Mangaia **Manihiki **Manuae (Cook Islands), Manuae **Mauke **Mitiaro **Nassau (Cook Islands), Nassau **Palmerston Island **Penrhyn Island, Penrhyn Island/Tongareva **Pukapuka **Rakahanga **Rarotonga **Suwarrow **Takutea *Niue *Tokelau **Atafu **Nukunonu **Fakaofo

Territorial claims

New Zealand also claims the Ross Dependency in Antarctica, including: *the Balleny Islands **Buckle Island **Sabrina Island **Sturge Island **Young Island *Scott Island *Roosevelt Island, Antarctica, Roosevelt Island *Coulman Island *the Ross Archipelago **Ross Island **Beaufort Island **White Island (Ross Archipelago), White Island **Black Island (Ross Archipelago), Black Island **the Dellbridge Islands ***Inaccessible Island (Dellbridge Islands), Inaccessible Island ***Tent Island ***Big Razorback ***Little Razorback

Notes

References

{{Oceania topic, List of islands of Islands of New Zealand, Lists of islands by country, New Zealand Lists of landforms of New Zealand, Islands