Tata Islands are a pair of small uninhabited islands off the north coast of New Zealand's South Island. They are located some to the northwest of Tākaka in the southeast of Golden Bay close to Abel Tasman Point, and are contained within Abel Tasman National Park. The small settlement of Tata Beach 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 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.

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