Tata Islands are a pair of small uninhabited islands off the north coast of New Zealand's

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 ...

. They are located some to the northwest of

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 runs through Takaka and follows the river valley b ...

in the southeast of

Golden Bay Golden Bay may refer to: * Golden Bay / Mohua, a bay at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island * Golden Bay (Malta), a bay and beach on the coastline of Malta * Golden Bay High School Golden Bay High School is a secondary school A s ...

close to

Abel Tasman Point Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepher ...

, and are contained within

Abel Tasman National Park Abel Tasman National Park is a New Zealand national park located between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere at the north end of the South Island. It is named after Abel Tasman, who in 1642 became the first European explorer to sight New ...

. The small settlement of

Tata Beach Tata Beach is a beach and small coastal settlement of predominantly holiday houses in the South Island, New Zealand. Found in the Golden Bay region, it is approximately north-east of Tākaka. The uninhabited Tata Islands lie about north of t ...

lies on the South Island mainland one kilometre to the south of the islands.

Geography

The islands are small, with the larger of the two, Motu Island (North Tata) being roughly 300 metres in length and 100 metres in width. It is roughly

tabular Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...

in form, with much of its area being between 20 and 30 metres in height, rising to some at its highest point. The southern island, Ngawhiti Island (South Tata), is roughly 160 by 120 metres in size, and, while less regular than its northern neighbour, rises to a similar altitude. Several small islets and stacks lie off the coast of Ngawhiti Island.New Zealand Topomap
/ref> The islands' most distinctive geographic feature is a large

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

stack at the southern end of Ngawhiti Island.Hindmarsh, G.,
Forgotten islands of the Abel Tasman
, ''stuff.co.nz'', 27 January 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2019.

Flora and fauna

The waters around the islands are a significant fish nursery, and are also popular with kayakers. The area was proposed as a

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

in the 1990s, though this status was not granted. The islands themselves are the site of one of New Zealand's largest populations of

spotted shag The spotted shag or pārekareka (''Phalacrocorax punctatus'') is a species of cormorant endemic to New Zealand. Though originally classified as ''Phalacrocorax punctatus'', it is sufficiently different in appearance from typical members of that ...

History

There is some evidence of pre-European Māori settlement on Ngawhiti Island, and its native flora may have been burnt back to allow for cultivation. Vegetation on Motu island is more diverse, suggesting that there was no similar burn-off there. The islands have historically provided deep water shelter for large ships visiting the Golden Bay area, the only site in the bay capable of providing such shelter. From about 1904,Hindmarsh, G.,
Hermit of South Tata Island's proud and lonely life
, ''The Nelson Mail'', 23 March 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019. parts of Ngawhiti Island were mined for limestone, but in the first decade of the 20th century the government acquired the islands under the

Public Works Act Public Works Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used in New Zealand and the United Kingdom for legislation relating to public works. List New Zealand *The Public Works Act 1876 (40 Vict No 50) *The Public Works Act 1876 Amendment A ...

. For many years from the 1930s on, Ngawhiti Island was inhabited by a sole resident, Norwegian Peter Peterson, who was known locally as "The Hermit of South Tata Island". The island and its northern neighbour are now uninhabited.

References

{{Tasman District Islands of the Tasman District Abel Tasman National Park Golden Bay