Location of Rangitoto island (marked in red).

Rangitoto Island as viewed from North Head.

Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. It is an iconic landmark of Auckland as its distinctive symmetrical 260 metre (850 feet) high shield volcano cone is visible from much of the city. It is the most recent and the largest (2311 hectares) of the approximately 48 volcanoes of the Auckland Volcanic Field. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (589x701, 96 KB)Location map of Rangitoto Island, New Zealand I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (589x701, 96 KB)Location map of Rangitoto Island, New Zealand I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... rangitoto island from north head, New Zealand Photo taken June 23, 2002 copyright Richard Gallagher. ... rangitoto island from north head, New Zealand Photo taken June 23, 2002 copyright Richard Gallagher. ... North Head as seen from the south from Tamaki Drive. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... A true-colour image showing Auckland city (left), the Hauraki Gulf (centre) and the Coromandel Peninsula (right). ... Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... Shield volcano A shield volcano is a large volcano with shallowly-sloping sides. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ... The Auckland volcanic field is a monogenetic volcanic field on the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Rangitoto is Māori for 'Bloody Sky',^[1] with the name coming from the full phrase Nga Rangi-i-totongia-a Tama-te-kapua ('The days of the bleeding of Tama-te-kapua'). Tama-te-kapua was the captain of the Arawa waka and was badly wounded on the island, at a (lost) battle with the Tainui iwi at Islington Bay.^[2][3] Māori or Te Reo Māori, commonly shortened to Te Reo (literally the language) is an official language of New Zealand. ... In Māori tradition, Arawa was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes that was used in the migrations that settled New Zealand. ... WAKA is a CBS-affiliated television station on channel 8 in central Alabama. ... Tainui is a Maori Iwi Waka Confederation of New Zealand. ... Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ...

Geology

Rangitoto was formed by a series of eruptions between 600-700 years ago. Scientists are in dispute about the length of the eruptions, which are thought to have lasted (with interruptions) for 10 to 200 years. In any case, the amount of mass that erupted from the volcano was about equal to the combined mass of all other eruptions in the Auckland Volcanic Field before.^[2][4]

The volcano is not expected to become active again, although future eruptions are likely (spoken in geological timespans) elsewhere in the wider area of the field. Subsidising matter during the cooling process has left a moat-like ring around the crater summit, which may be viewed from a path which goes right round the rim and up to the highest point.^[2][3]

The island is considered especially significant because all stages from raw lava fields to scrub establishment and sparse forests are visible. In some parts of the island, fields of lightweight, clinker-like black lava stones are still exposed, appearing very recent to a casual eye. Visitors walk through the lava fields and may also walk through some of about seven known lava caves - tubes left behind after the passage of liquid lava. The more accessible of the caves are signposted.^[2] Scrubland is plant community characterized by scrub vegetation. ... Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Thurston Lava Tube in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. ...

History

Rangitoto Island from One Tree Hill.

Bracken fern, Pteridium esculentum, Rangitoto Island.

Lava field with path and encroaching vegetation.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (989x727, 132 KB)Cleaned version of Gadfiums jpeg Rangitoto. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (989x727, 132 KB)Cleaned version of Gadfiums jpeg Rangitoto. ... Location of One Tree Hill in the Auckland area. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 589 KB) Summary Tangle fern, Gleichenia dicarpa, Rangitoto Island (10 January 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 589 KB) Summary Tangle fern, Gleichenia dicarpa, Rangitoto Island (10 January 2005. ... Species Pteridium aquilinum Pteridium caudatum Pteridium esculentum Pteridium latiusculum and about 6-7 other species Pteridium aquilinum For the Irish television soap opera, see Bracken (TV). ... Lava field with path and encroaching vegetation, photo 13. ... Lava field with path and encroaching vegetation, photo 13. ...

Maori

The relatively recent eruption of the island from the gulf depths means its creation is within historical memory of the local Māori iwis (tribes).^[2][4] The island is linked by a natural causeway to the much older, non-volcanic island of Motutapu, where it is possible to view the remains of Māori habitation caught in Rangitoto's eruption paths.^[4] Ngāi Tai were the iwi living on Motutapu, and consider both islands their ancestral home. Ngāti Paoa also has links with Rangitoto.^[5] This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ... The Hindenburgdamm rail causeway across the Wadden Sea to the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated by a bank, usually across a broad body of water or wetland. ... Motutapu Island (or simply Motutapu) is located in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. ... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... Ngāi Tai is Māori tribal group in the area around Tōrere in the East Coast area of the North Island, New Zealand, and also at Clevedon near Auckland. ...

A number of Māori myths exist surrounding the island, including that of a Tupua couple, children of the Fire Gods. After quarreling and cursing Mahuika, the fire-goddess, their home on the mainland was destroyed by Mataoho, god of earthquakes and eruptions on Mahuika's behalf. Lake Pupuke in North Shore City was created in the destruction, while Rangitoto rose from the sea. The mists surrounding Rangitoto at certain times are considered the tears of the Tupua couple for their former home.^[2] The aspect of Mahuika. ... Lake Pupuke is a freshwater lake occupying a volcanic crater between the suburbs of Takapuna and Milford on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. ... North Shore Categories: New Zealand geography stubs | Auckland | Cities and towns in New Zealand | Territorial Authorities of New Zealand ...

European

The island was purchased by the Crown in 1854, a very early date in New Zealand's colonisation by Europeans, and set aside as a recreation reserve in 1890. Nonetheless, for over 30 years, scoria was quarried from the volcano as building material for Auckland as well. During 1925-1936, prison labour built roads on the island as well as a track to the summit.^[3] Throughout the Commonwealth Realms The Crown is an abstract concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government. ... Scoria Scoria is the vesicular ejecta of mafic to intermediate magmas such as basalt and andesite. ... A dimension stone quarry. ...

There are also some remains of WW II installations which supported the Auckland harbour defenses and were to house U.S. troops or store mines. The most visited installation is the old observation post on the summit. The shoreline on north side of the island was used as a wrecking ground for unwanted ships, and remains of several of the wrecks are still visible at low tide today. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Schematic map of Auckland. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Polish wz. ... An observation post is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements and direct artillery fire. ...

Starting in the first half of the 20th century, small holiday houses began being built around the island's edge. However, most have been removed since the legality of their existence was doubtful right from their start in the 1930s (the building of additional houses was stopped in 1937), and because the island has now become a scenic reserve. Some of the 140 of these baches are being preserved to show how the island used to be, once boasting a permanent community of several hundred people, including a good number of children. The buildings included some more permanent structures like a seawater pool built of quarried stones by convict labour, located close to the current ferry quay.^[6] A larger bach in the North Island. ...

There are now daily ferry trips to the island from Auckland but overnight stays are not generally possible, though a campsite exists.^[3] A day trip allows plenty of time for the fit to walk to the summit and back, with stunning views of the harbour and city. An alternative to walking, a land train, co-ordinated with the ferry sailings, takes visitors to a short way below the summit.^[7] The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, circa 1945. ... Campsites are often situated in or near forests. ...

Nature

There are virtually no streams on the island so plants rely on rainfall for moisture. It has the largest forest of pōhutukawa trees in the world,^[3] as well as many Northern rātā trees. In total, more than 200 species trees and flowers thrive on the island, as well as more than 40 types of ferns, as well as several species of orchids.^[2] In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Binomial name Metrosideros excelsa Gaertn. ... Binomial name A.Cunn. ... Classes Psilotopsida Equisetopsida Marattiopsida Pteridopsida (Polypodiopsida) this dnt make sense A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ...

As lava fields contain no soil of the typical kind, windblown matter and slow breaking-down processes of the native flora are still in the process of transforming the island into a more habitable area for most plants, which is one of the reasons why the local forests are relatively young and do not yet support a large bird population. However, the kākā bird, a New Zealand-endemic parrot, is thought to have lived on the island in pre-European times.^[2] Binomial name Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin, 1788) The Kākā, Nestor meridionalis, is a parrot native to the forests of New Zealand. ... Systematics (but see below) Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos) Family Psittacidae (true parrots) Subfamily Loriinae (lories and lorikeets) Subfamily Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies) Tribe Arini (American psittacines) Tribe Cyclopsitticini (fig-parrots) Tribe Micropsittini (pygmy-parrots) Tribe Nestorini (kakas and Kea) Tribe Platycercini (broad-tailed parrots) Tribe Psittrichadini (Pesquets Parrot) Tribe...

Goats were present on Rangitoto in large numbers in the mid 19th century, but were eradicated in the 1880s. Fallow deer were introduced to Motutapu in 1862 and spread to Rangitoto, but disappeared by the 1980s. The brush-tailed rock-wallaby was introduced to Motutapu in 1873, and was common on Rangitoto by 1912, and the brushtail possum was introduced in 1931 and again in 1946. Both were eradicated in a campaign from 1990-96 using 1080 and cyanide poison and dogs. Stoats, rabbits, mice, rats, cats and hedgehogs remain a problem.^[8] As the area is a DOC-administered reserve (in partnership with the Tangata Whenua Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Paoa)^[1], visitors may not take dogs or other animals onto the islands.^[7] Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Binomial name Dama dama (Linnaeus, 1758) The Fallow Deer (Dama dama) is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... Binomial name Petrogale penicillata (Gray, 1827) The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby or Small-eared Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) is a kind of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale. ... Binomial name Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr, 1792) The Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for furry tailed and the Latin for little fox) is the largest possum, and the Australian marsupial most often seen by city-dwellers, since it is one the very few that thrives in cities as... 1080 is the commonly used name for sodium fluoroacetate (also known as sodium monofluoroacetate), a potent metabolic poison used primarily to control mammallian pests. ... The cyanide ion, CN−. From the top: 1. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. ... Binomial name Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a species of rabbit native to southern Europe. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 The common House Mouse (Mus musculus) is one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus equivalent to the common term mouse. ... Binomial name Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) Black Rat range The Black Rat (Rattus rattus), also known as the Asian black rat, Ship Rat, Roof Rat or House Rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus (Old World rodents) and the subfamily Murinae (murine rodents). ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... It has been suggested that Blonde hedgehog be merged into this article or section. ... 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. ... Tangata is a maori word which among other things, means people (technically, according to the definitive Williams Dictionary of the Maori Language, tangata means man or human being, whilst tāngata with the long ā is the plural meaning people, but in contemporary New Zealand English certain maori words, including m... Ngāi Tai is Māori tribal group in the area around Tōrere in the East Coast area of the North Island, New Zealand, and also at Clevedon near Auckland. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} What happened to local Maori? (from the Rangitoto page on the GNS Science website)
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Rangitoto (from the Auckland Regional Council website)
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Hauraki Gulf Islands - Rangitoto Island (from the Auckland City Council website)
4. ^ ^{a b c} Rangitoto (abridged article from New Zealand National Geographic)
5. ^ Mike D Wilcox and others (2007). Natural History of Rangitoto Island. Auckland Botanical Society, 16. ISBN 978-0-9583447-3-9. 
6. ^ Welcome to Rangitoto Island (from the Rangitoto Island Historic Conservation Trust)
7. ^ ^{a b} Rangitoto Island - Unique Volcanic Island (from the Fullers ferry operator website)
8. ^ Mike D Wilcox and others (2007). Natural History of Rangitoto Island. Auckland Botanical Society, 23-24. ISBN 978-0-9583447-3-9. 

GNS Science (Māori: Te Pū Ao) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. ... Auckland is one of the 15 regions of New Zealand, named after Auckland City, the large city at its heart. ... This article is about the City of Auckland. ... The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ... Fuller, Smith and Turner PLC is the full name of the brewery company better known simply as Fullers. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Rangitoto Island

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: -36.786742° 174.860115°
  • WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
  • Street map from Google Maps or Multimap.
  • Satellite image from Google Maps