Kapiti Island
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Kapiti Island is a small but visually prominent island about 8 km (5 miles) off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 19.65 km² (7.6 sq miles).
The seaward (west) side is particularly rocky and has high cliffs of 520 m that drop straight into the sea. A cross section of the island would show almost a right-angled triangle, revealing its origins from lying on a fault line (part of the same ridge as the Tararua Range).
The island's vegetation is dominated by scrub and forest of kohekohe, tawa, and kanuka. Most of the forest is naturally regenerating after years of burn-offs and farming, but some areas of original bush with 30 m (100 ft) trees remain.
Its name has been used since 1989 by the Kapiti Coast District Council, which also includes towns such as Paraparaumu and Waikanae.
History
In the 1700s and 1800s Maori settled on the island. Te Rauparaha formed a base there, and his Ngāti Toa tribe regularly sailed in canoes on raiding journeys up to the Whanganui River and down to Marlborough.
The sea nearby was a nursery for whales, and during whaling times 2,000 people were based on the island. Oil was melted from the blubber and shipped to America for use in machinery (pre petroleum). Few whales are seen there now.
The conservation potential of the island was seen as early as 1870, and it was reserved as a bird sanctuary in 1897 but it was not until 1987 that the New Zealand Department of Conservation took over the island. In the 1980s and 1990s efforts were made to return the island to a natural state; first sheep and possums were removed. Then in an action no-one thought possible for an island of its size, rats were eradicated in 1998.
Current day
The island is the site of Kapiti Island Nature Reserve and adjoins the Kapiti Marine Reserve. Most of it is in public ownership.
The island is home to a number of native birds (mostly re-introduced), including takahe, kokako, brown teal, stitchbirds, and tieke (saddleback), miromiro, piwakawaka, ruru, weka (hybrid of North and South Island subspecies), hihi, and toutouwai. The brown kiwi and little spotted kiwi were released on the island between 1890 and 1910, and the island is now the stronghold for the latter species. The rat eradication has led to increases in red-crowned parakeets, New Zealand robins, bellbirds, and saddlebacks, and the island is considered one of New Zealand's most important sites for bird recovery, as well as a major breeding site for sea birds. In April 2005, the critically endangered short-tailed bat was introduced to this predator free island from a threatened population in the Tararuas, providing them with a separate, safer habitat.
Due to the proximity of Wellington, there are regular tourist trips to the island (limited to 50 people on the island per day), and it is an especially popular destination for bird-watchers. Having no natural predators, New Zealand birds are trusting, and a visitor to the island is likely to be rewarded by seeing a number of species.
External links
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