Ponui Island
Ponui Island (also known as Chamberlin's Island) is a privately owned island located in the Hauraki Gulf, to the east of the city of Auckland, New Zealand.[1] It is located to the southeast of Waiheke Island, at the eastern end of the Tamaki Strait, which separates the island from the Hunua Ranges on the mainland to the south.
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![]() ![]() Ponui Island Location in New Zealand | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°52′S 175°11′E |
Area | 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 173 m (568 ft) |
Highest point | Ponui |
Administration | |
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long night" for Pōnui.[2]
The island has an area of 18 km² and has been farmed by the Chamberlin family since 1853.[3][4] The island now consists of three farms, two owned by the Chamberlin family and one by John Spencer.[3] The only permanent inhabitants (nine in the 2001 census) are associated with the farms which are predominantly used for sheep.
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The island is a popular site for youth camps for organisations such as Scouts. Crusader camps (now under the banner of Scripture Union) have been held on the island since 1932.[5]
The island is the home of New Zealand's only feral donkey breed, the Ponui donkey. It also has a large population of kiwi.[3][6]
Shipwrecks
Ponui Island is home to the Shipwreck of the Pupuke.
References
- "Ponui Island (Chamberlins Island), Auckland - NZ Topo Map". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
- Lee, Mike (25 April 2011). Rediscovered! Ponui Island’s ‘lost tribe’ of kiwi.
- TANK 25, 1979: AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY FIELD CLUB SCIENTIFIC TRIP TO PONUI ISLAND, AUGUST 1978
- Scripture Union: The Ponui Story
- ResearchSpace at The University of Auckland: The ecology of ship rats (Rattus rattus) on Ponui Island: implications for North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)