Stewart Island
Stewart Island is the third-largest and southernmost inhabited island of New Zealand, lying south of the South Island, separated by Foveaux Strait.
It is a roughly triangular island with a land area of. Its coastline is indented by Paterson Inlet, Port Pegasus, and Mason Bay. The island is generally hilly and densely forested. Almost all the island is owned by the New Zealand government, and over 80 percent of the island forms Rakiura National Park.
Stewart Island's economy depends on fishing and summer tourism. Its permanent population was recorded at 408 people in the 2018 census. Most residents live in the settlement of Oban on the eastern side of the island. Ferries connect Oban to Bluff in the South Island. Stewart Island is part of the Southland District for local government purposes.
History and naming
Archaeology indicates that the island was settled in the 14th century, shortly after the Māori settled in the South Island.The original Māori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui, means "The Anchor Stone of Māui’s Canoe". This refers to the legend of Māui and his crew, who from their canoe Te Waka a Māui, caught and raised the great fish Te Ika a Māui, the North Island.
The more common Māori name, Rakiura, is usually translated as "glowing skies" in reference to the aurora australis.
For some, Rakiura is the abbreviated version of Te Rakiura a Te Rakitamau, translated as "great blush of Rakitamau", in reference to the latter's embarrassment when refused the hand in marriage of not one but two daughters of an island chief.
James Cook saw the insularity of Stewart Island during his first Pacific Voyage in 1770. After five days of sailing south/clockwise around the island, Endeavour was at the western entrance of Foveaux Strait where the crew could see Ruapuke Island, which they had passed 5 days earlier, at the eastern entrance of the strait. Cook wrote: “they're appear’d an open Channel … we saw the small island we were in with on the 6th instant”. Zachary Hicks wrote: “this is ye Western opening of the Passage mentioned the 6 Ins.” Nonetheless, Cook knew that an offshore island was strategically valuable to Britain’s rivals and should be hidden as a matter of military policy. He tried to erase his description of Foveaux Strait from his journal and drew a revised chart attaching the island to the mainland, turning Stewart Island into a peninsula.
Like Beaglehole, another New Zealand historian, Robert McNab, was shocked by this. Neither could conceive that Cook and the Admiralty would engage in strategic disinformation/cartographic secrecy. McNab writes: “Unless given us in Cook’s own words, it would be incredible that he could have made such a mistake.". However, G. A. Mawer argues that Cook was simply unsure whether it was an island because his focus was on finding the southern extent of New Zealand, and conditions were unfavourable for more closely exploring a possible strait.
The strait was first charted by Owen Folger Smith, a New Yorker who had been in Sydney Harbour with Eber Bunker, from whom he probably learned of the eastern seal hunting. Smith charted the strait in the whaleboat of the sealing brig Union in 1804 and on his 1806 chart, it was called Smith's Straits.
The island received its English name in honour of William W. Stewart. He was first officer on the Pegasus, which visited in 1809, and he charted the large south-eastern harbour that now bears the ship's name and determined the northern points of the island, proving that it was an island. In 1824, he initiated plans in England to establish a timber, flax and trading settlement at Stewart Island and sailed there in 1826.
In 1841, the island was established as one of the three Provinces of New Zealand and was named New Leinster. However, the province existed on paper only and was abolished after only five years. With the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846, the island became part of New Munster, which entirely included the South Island. When New Munster was abolished in 1853, Stewart Island became part of Otago Province until 1861, when Southland Province split from Otago. In 1876, the provinces were abolished altogether.
For most of the twentieth century, "Stewart Island" was the official name, and the most commonly used. The name was officially altered to Stewart Island/Rakiura by the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, one of many such changes under the Ngāi Tahu treaty settlement.
Geography
Stewart Island has an area of. The highest point is Mount Anglem, at above sea level, located close to the island's north coast. Following the passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, the official name of the peak was altered to Mount Anglem / Hananui.The southern half is more uniformly undulating, rising to a ridge that runs south from the valley of the Rakeahua River, which also flows into Paterson Inlet. The southernmost point in this ridge is Mount Allen, at. Notable twin rock formations in this region are granite domes known as Gog and Magog.
Mason Bay, on the west side, is notable for being long and sandy. One suggestion is that the bay was formed in the aftershock of a meteorite impact in the Tasman Sea; however, no evidence has been found to support such a claim.
Approximately 18,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum when sea levels were lower than present day levels, Stewart Island and its surrounding islands were connected to the rest of New Zealand. Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating Stewart Island from the mainland.
There are several large and many small islands around the coast. Codfish Island / Whenua Hou is an island nature reserve of located west of Stewart Island, known as a protected habitat for kākāpō. Ulva Island is within Paterson Inlet, and is a sanctuary for native species. It is open to the public and is maintained free of introduced pest animals.
Three groups of small islands around the north-east and south-west coasts of Stewart Island are known collectively as the Tītī / Muttonbird Islands. These are the locations for the traditional seasonal harvesting of sooty shearwater chicks by Rakiura Māori. The largest of these islands is Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island.
Settlements
The only town is Oban, on Halfmoon Bay.Geology
Geologically, Stewart Island is made up of rocks from the Median Batholith. The island is mostly composed of granite, particularly the southern two thirds of the island. The northern third is composed of Anglem Complex diorites, minor gabbro and granite, and many pegmatites. The Freshwater Valley Fault in between is mainly alluvium and volcanic sediments.Rivers
There is a variety of types of watercourse on Stewart Island as a result of the moderate to high rainfall and the wide variations in landform and soil types. They range from lowland rivers such as the Rakeahua and Freshwater rivers, to short and steep streams in the coastal northwest.Freshwater River is the longest river on Stewart Island. It is navigable at high tide from Paterson Inlet and is used by water taxi services to transport walkers to Freshwater Landing, at the junction of the Southern Circuit and Northwest Circuit walking tracks. The tributaries are on the southern slopes of Mount Anglem and the eastern slopes of the Ruggedy Mountain area. In its lower reaches the river flows through a basin that comprises the majority of the flat land on Stewart Island. The Freshwater River valley contains the southernmost kahikatea forest in New Zealand.
Rakiura National Park
Rakiura National Park is the 14th of New Zealand's national parks and was officially opened on 9 March 2002. The park covers close to, which is about 85% of the area of Stewart Island / Rakiura. The area of the park excludes the township around Halfmoon Bay and some roads as well as private or Māori-owned land further inland.Climate
Stewart Island has a temperate climate. However, one travel guide mentions "frequent downpours that make 'boots and waterproof clothing mandatory", and another guide says that rainfall in Oban, the principal settlement, is a year.Demographics
Stewart Island covers including the offshore islands, the most sizeable being Ruapuke Island, Codfish Island / Whenua Hou and Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Stewart Island had a population of 408 at the 2018 New Zealand census.
Of those at least 15 years old, 84 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 63 people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 57 people earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 207 people were employed full-time, 54 were part-time, and 3 were unemployed.
In the 2018 census ethnicities were recorded as being: 93.4% European, 19.9% Māori, 1.5% Pasifika, 0.7% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities.