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Rakitu Island, also known as Arid Island, is an uninhabited island off the northeast coast of
Great Barrier Island Great Barrier Island ( mi, Aotea) lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson ...
in the
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 ...
of
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 ...
. The island lies about off
Whangapoua Beach Whangapoua Beach is on the east coast of Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf. The beach runs roughly north–south and has views of Rakitu Island. The Whangapoua Creek drains large estuarine wetlands and enters the sea at the sout ...
, sheltering the bay of Whangapoua Creek.


Description

The island is located 2.5 kilometres from
Great Barrier Island Great Barrier Island ( mi, Aotea) lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson ...
. The island's shores are predominantly steep cliffs, that rise up to 180 metres from sea level. The island's vegetation is a mix of retired farmland, coastal
pōhutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...
, mānuka and
kānuka ''Kunzea ericoides'', commonly known as kānuka, kanuka, white tea-tree or burgan, is a tree or shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It has white or pink flowers similar to those of '' Leptospermum'' and from it ...
. It is a refuge for many native bird species.


Geology

The island is composed of the remains of two late
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
rhyolite domes. The volcanoes are a part of the Whitianga Group, which erupted between 8 and 12 million years ago


History

Rakitū Island is a part of the traditional
rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ''rohe'' to describe the territory or boundaries of ''iwi'' (tribes), although some divide their rohe into several ''takiwā''. The areas shown on the map (right) are indicative only, and some iwi ...
of Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea, and was home to the namesake ancestor of the
hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...
, Rehua. The central valley was cleared for cultivations, and three sites and a number of
kāinga A kāinga ( Southern Māori ''kaika'' or ''kaik'') is the traditional form of village habitation of pre-European Māori in New Zealand. It was unfortified or only lightly fortified, and over time became less important to the well-defended pā. ...
were established on Rakitu. During the early European era, whalers used the island as a base. Following this, it was predominantly used as a cattle grazing area by European settlers. In 1994, the island became a scenic reserve, following its purchase by the
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 ...
. In 2020, the island was declared predator free.


See also

*
List of islands of New Zealand New Zealand 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 on earth, and the third-largest located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. T ...
*
List of islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plane ...
*
Desert island A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...


References

{{Authority control Inactive volcanoes Island restoration Islands of the Auckland Region Islands of the Hauraki Gulf Miocene lava domes Nature reserves in New Zealand Protected areas of the Auckland Region Uninhabited islands of New Zealand Volcanic islands of New Zealand Volcanoes of the Auckland Region