Resolution Island or Tau Moana (

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

) is the largest island in the Fiordland region of southwest

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 ...

, covering a total of . It is the country's seventh largest island, and the second largest uninhabited island. Resolution Island is separated from the mainland 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 ...

by Tamatea / Dusky Sound,

Te Puaitaha / Breaksea Sound Te Puaitaha / Breaksea Sound is a small fiord on the southwestern coast of South Island, New Zealand in the Tasman Sea. Breaksea Island in Fiordland National Park lies at its entrance. In the 1850s, early settlers Henry Hirst and John Watt ...

, and

Acheron Passage The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...

. The island is part of the

Fiordland National Park Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is by far the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of , and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. The park i ...

. The island is roughly rectangular, with the exception of a long narrow peninsula on the west coast known as Five Fingers Peninsula: an area protected by the Taumoana (Five Fingers Peninsula) Marine Reserve. The island is named after Capt. James Cook's ship

Resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

which landed here on Dusky Sound during Cook's Second Voyage in March 1773. The island was chosen in 2004 to be one of New Zealand's offshore reserves, which are cleared of

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

to protect native species. This follows a much earlier episode, in 1894, when the Department of Lands and Survey appointed Richard Henry as curator of the island, which was stocked with species such as kākāpō and

kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also refe ...

that were threatened by

mustelid The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in ...

s on the mainland. This early attempt at using the island for

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

management failed when stoats reached the island in 1900. On 15 July 2009, Resolution island was at the epicenter of a magnitude 7.8

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

Flora

The island is an important sanctuary, not only because it has never been colonised by

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban a ...

, but also because it contains much ecological diversity in habitats ranging from wetlands to forests to alpine areas, with the highest mountains on the island reaching around 1,000 m. The most widespread forest type on the island is beech-broadleaved forest, while the alpine areas comprise mainly tussock, but also wetlands and tarns. Over 400 indigenous species have been recorded on the island, which is considerably more than on the surrounding mainland. Among the plants are six endangered species, such as several types of endemic

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. ...

, and over a dozen nationally uncommon species. Many of these plants suffer elsewhere in Fiordland from browsing by possums.

Fauna

The only introduced mammals on the island are stoats, red deer and mice. Ongoing stoat and rat contro
since 2008
allows the island to be used as a sanctuary. Pest trapping is being used on the island by laying trap networks including various DOC traps, and

Goodnature Goodnature is a New Zealand company that specializes in producing traps designed for the control of animal pests like stoats, rats, mice, and possums. The company was founded in 2005 by Robbie van Dam and Craig Bond. Goodnature's product line i ...

br>A24 traps
to aid in bringing the pest populations down to improve the environment for threatened bird species such as the mōhua (yellowhead) and tīeke (saddleback). Many other native bird species can be found on the island, including karearea (New Zealand falcon),

kaka Kaka may refer to: People Nickname or given name Sports * Carlos Augusto dos Santos da Silva (born 1987), Brazil-born Italy international futsal player * Kaká (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite * Kaká (football ...

kea The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wings ...

, and

References

External links

New Zealand to create more island sanctuaries
BirdLife International

Wildlifeextra.com
1998 archaeological investigation of a 1795 ship and temporary dwellings at Facile Harbour
{{Authority control Uninhabited islands of New Zealand Islands of Fiordland Fiordland National Park Island restoration

Flora

Fauna

See also

References

Further reading

External links