Kawau Island is located in the Hauraki Gulf, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies only 2km off the coast of the North Auckland Peninsula, and shelters Kawau Bay to the north-east of Warkworth. The island is located 50km north of the Auckland city centre. A true-colour image showing Auckland city (left), the Hauraki Gulf (centre) and the Coromandel Peninsula (right). ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... The North Auckland Peninsula, frequently referred to simply as the Northland Peninsula, is located in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Warkworth is a town in the Rodney District of New Zealand. ... Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ...

History

The island has a small population of permanent residents and many holiday dwellings, and is a popular destination for pleasure craft cruising the Hauraki Gulf. Most of the land is privately owned and covered in forest. The island is 8km by 5km at its longest axes, and is almost bisected by the long inlet of Bon Accord Harbour which is geologically a "drowned valley". Kawau is believed to have been the base for seaborne raiding Maori in the early 18th century and was used as a fishing base by Maori when gathering seafood (kai moana). Te Puni, Māori Chief Māori is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their language. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Manganese and copper were mined in the first years of European ownership until the island was bought by Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand in 1862 as a private retreat. He extended the original copper mine manager's house (built 1845) to create the Kawau Island Mansion House which still stands, and made the surrounding land into a botanical and zoological park, importing many plants and animals. The house is now in public ownership in the Kawau Island Historic Reserve, administered by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The reserve is open to the public and covers 10 per cent of the Island, and includes the old copper mine; believed to be the site of New Zealand's first underground metalliferous mining venture (1844). General Name, Symbol, Number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 54. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... George Edward Grey Statue of Sir George Grey in Albert Park, Auckland For other men with a similar name, see George Grey or George Gray Sir George Edward Grey KCB (April 14, 1812 - September 19, 1898 ) was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor... Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative in the Realm of New Zealand of the Queen of New Zealand, Queen Elizabeth II, and as such is the highest office in the Government of New Zealand. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Department of Conservation (In Māori, Te Papa Atawhai), commonly known by its acronym, DOC, is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. ...

The island is home to kiwi and two thirds of the entire population of North Island weka. Among the animals that Grey introduced were five species of wallabies. Four of the wallaby species remain and do considerable damage to the native vegetation, thus harming the habitat for these flightless birds and other native fauna. The wallabies destroy all emerging seedlings which means that the present native trees are the last generation. The usual understorey forest species are absent due to wallaby browsing and in many cases the ground is bare. Possums, also introduced by Grey, destroy mature native trees. The result has been a considerable loss of biodiversity, with bird numbers plummeting due to loss of both food supply and habitat. Even the surrounding marine environment has been severely compromised by silt carried from the bare ground by rainwater. Species n. ... Binomial name Gallirallus australis Sparrman, 1786 The Weka or woodhen (Gallirallus australis) is an endemic bird of New Zealand. ... Red-necked Wallaby A wallaby (sometimes spelled wallabee) is any of about 30 species of macropod (family macropodidae). ... A possum is any of about 25 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupials native to Australia. ...

Pohutukawa Trust New Zealand

A local organisation, Pohutukawa Trust New Zealand, was founded in 1992 by Ray Weaver and other private landowners who own 90 per cent of the Island, specifically "to rehabilitate the native flora and fauna of Kawau Island". Until then it was considered hopeless to reverse the considerable ecological damage caused by the introduced animal and plant species, and Kawau was said to be of historical rather than botanical importance. The Trust's long established plan is to complete eradication of significant animal pests including wallabies and possums, eradicate certain weed species and control others, and enable sustainable land uses in a restored ecological setting of native flora and fauna. The ongoing program is funded by donations and sponsors. Possum numbers have already been greatly reduced and kept at very low numbers since 1985 through sustained control, saving a New Zealand icon the coastal pohutukawa tree. The response to pest control work has been increasing native bird numbers, including increased kiwi calls, brown teal, kaka, Kererū, and bellbirds. Binomial name Metrosideros excelsa Gaertner Pohutukawa in flower Also known as New Zealand Christmas Tree or Fire Tree, the Maori named Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa, synonym Metrosideros tomentosa) is an evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces flowers made up of a mass of red stamens (sometimes yellow). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Binomial name Anas aucklandica Gray, 1844 The Brown Teal (Anas aucklandica) is a species of duck of the genus Anas. ... Binomial name Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin, 1788) The Kaka (Maori: kākā), Nestor meridionalis, is a parrot native to the forests of New Zealand. ... Binomial name Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789) The Kereru or New Zealand Pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae) is a bird endemic to New Zealand. ... Binomial name Anthornis melanura (Sparrman, 1786) The New Zealand Bellbird (Anthornis melanura) is a bird of greenish colouration that is endemic to New Zealand. ...

After assisting with capturing all of the rare Brushtail rock wallabies that could economically be recovered from the private land for relocation to a successful captive breeding program established by Waterfall Springs Conservation Association in Wahroonga, Australia, the Pohutukawa Trust New Zealand is now humanely eradicating the remaining feral wallabies from the island, to enable ecological restoration (mainly by natural regeneration). An inventory of the remaining indigenous plants and forest fragments on the island has been compiled and is being continuously expanded to define the remnant resource still available, and several rare indigenous species have been discovered during the process. Other animal pests the Trust intends to eradicate as resources enable include stoats and ferrets, feral cats, and ship rats. Plants unpalatable to the wallabies have become serious invasive weeds on the island, and the Trust intends to eradicate or control these also as part of the ecological restoration process. Kawau Island is an extreme example in New Zealand of the consequences of exotic animals being brought to a place and ecosystems where they do not belong. The serious threat of possums to New Zealand's indigenous forest was first positively identified on Kawau Island by Ray Weaver in 1955. Possums have since become a major animal pest in New Zealand, compromising both forest health and the country's primary industries. Governor Grey introduced them to Kawau in 1868-69, although the first liberation in New Zealand is believed to have been at Riverton in the South Island in 1838. The Pohutukawa Trust New Zealand received a Green Ribbon Award from the New Zealand Government's Ministry for the Environment in 2003 "for outstanding leadership and commitment to environmental protection". Wahroonga is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... Wyoming Mustang (feral) courtesy of U.S. BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program A feral animal or plant is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to its wild state. ... New Zealand functions as a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External Links

• http://www.pohutukawatrust.org.nz
• http://www.waterfallsprings.com.au