Maud Island, also called Te Hoiere 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 ...

, is one of the larger islands in the

Marlborough Sounds The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels. According to Māori ...

on the northern tip 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, with a total area of .

Fauna

Maud Island is an important predator free

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

(officially a ''Scientific Reserve'' as defined under New Zealand's ''Reserves Act'') to which only scientists and conservationists have access. Visitors need a special permit issued by the

New Zealand Department of Conservation The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori: ''Te Papa Atawhai'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Au ...

. Thanks to the efforts of conservationist

Don Merton Donald Vincent Merton (22 February 193910 April 2011) was a New Zealand conservationist best known for saving the black robin from extinction. He also discovered the lek breeding system of the kākāpō. When Merton began his work as a conser ...

the kakapo was introduced onto the predator-free island in 1974. Additional kakapo were subsequently translocated onto other Islands like

Codfish Island Codfish Island / Whenua Hou is a small island () located to the west of Stewart Island in southern New Zealand. It reaches a height of close to the south coast. The island is home to Sirocco, an internationally famous kākāpō, a rare speci ...

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 ...

and

Little Barrier Island Little Barrier Island, or Hauturu in Māori language (the official Māori title is ''Te Hauturu-o-Toi''), lies off the northeastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. Located to the north of Auckland, the island is separated from the mainla ...

. After only one breeding attempt by pair ''Flossie'' and ''Richard Henry'' in 1998 where three chicks were born, Maud Island's kakapo population was translocated to more forested islands. The takahe was also introduced there in 1985. Another rare species is the

Maud Island frog __NOTOC__ The Maud Island frog (''Leiopelma pakeka'') is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only four extant species belonging to the family Leiopelmatidae. Description ''Leiopelma pakeka'' is a small terrestrial frog, growing to 5& ...

(''Leiopelma pakeka''), which was split from the

Hamilton's frog The Hamilton's frog ''(Leiopelma hamiltoni)'' is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only four extant species belonging to the family Leiopelmatidae. New Zealand's frog species all are in the family Leiopelmatidae. The male remains with ...

(''Leiopelma hamiltoni'') in 1998 and is now seen as its own species. Maud Island has a rich invertebrate fauna. Weta are numerous with tree weta, cave weta and Cook Strait giant weta likely to be seen at night. A large weevil, the

flax weevil ''Anagotus fairburni'' or flax weevil is a large flightless weevil. It feeds on leaves of New Zealand flax species where it produces a characteristic feeding notch. It is found on islands and in alpine areas of New Zealand. Taxonomy and descrip ...

can be seen on flax and the rare

Cook Strait click beetle ''Amychus granulatus'', commonly known as the Cook Strait click beetle, is a large flightless click beetle in the family Elateridae. Description Adult '' A. granulatus'' can be distinguished from other ''Amychus'' species by its wide and spre ...

is also present on the island.

Name

The island's two names, Maud Island and Te Hoiere, were both given official status in 1948.

References

External links

Information about Maud Island (engl.)
{{coord, 41, 02, S, 173, 53, E, region:NZ_type:isle, display=title Uninhabited islands of New Zealand Islands of the Marlborough Sounds

Fauna

Name

See also

References

External links