Matakana Island
Encyclopedia
Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty
in New Zealand
's North Island
. A long, flat island, it is 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) in length but rarely more than 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by a number Māori tribes that are mostly associated with Ngai Te Rangi. The island has two distinct parts: 5000 acres (2,023 ha) of farm and orchard land on the inner harbour, (where most of the population lives) and 10000 acres (4,047 ha) of forest-covered coastal land exposed to the Pacific Ocean.
As of the 2006 census, the island had a population of 225 people, and is the least populated area of the Western Bay of Plenty. There are only 90 inhabited dwellings. Most persons living on the island belong to the Ratana Church of New Zealand.
The island protects the entrance to the Tauranga
harbour and stretches from Athenree to Mount Maunganui
. It is largely covered by pine forests.
The island's long, white sandy beach is popular with surfers. Surfers can either catch a water taxi from Mount Maunganui or paddle to the island across the mouth of Tauranga Harbour (depending on weather conditions).
Matakana's surf side is a nesting site for a large number of sea birds, including the endangered New Zealand dotterel.
Between 1993 and 1999 the ownership of Matakana Island's 10000 acres (4,047 ha) forest and freehold land was in dispute. The case Arklow Investments Limited and Christopher Wingate v I.D. MacLean and others was appealed the New Zealand High Court to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
in London.
In 2007 the New Zealand Fisheries Management Research Database recorded and estimated that there were 325 sting rays inhabiting the estuarial waters between Matakana Island and Rangiwaea Island.
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. A long, flat island, it is 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) in length but rarely more than 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by a number Māori tribes that are mostly associated with Ngai Te Rangi. The island has two distinct parts: 5000 acres (2,023 ha) of farm and orchard land on the inner harbour, (where most of the population lives) and 10000 acres (4,047 ha) of forest-covered coastal land exposed to the Pacific Ocean.
As of the 2006 census, the island had a population of 225 people, and is the least populated area of the Western Bay of Plenty. There are only 90 inhabited dwellings. Most persons living on the island belong to the Ratana Church of New Zealand.
The island protects the entrance to the Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
harbour and stretches from Athenree to Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui is a town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, located on a peninsula to the north of Tauranga. It was independent from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge in 1988....
. It is largely covered by pine forests.
The island's long, white sandy beach is popular with surfers. Surfers can either catch a water taxi from Mount Maunganui or paddle to the island across the mouth of Tauranga Harbour (depending on weather conditions).
Matakana's surf side is a nesting site for a large number of sea birds, including the endangered New Zealand dotterel.
Between 1993 and 1999 the ownership of Matakana Island's 10000 acres (4,047 ha) forest and freehold land was in dispute. The case Arklow Investments Limited and Christopher Wingate v I.D. MacLean and others was appealed the New Zealand High Court to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
in London.
In 2007 the New Zealand Fisheries Management Research Database recorded and estimated that there were 325 sting rays inhabiting the estuarial waters between Matakana Island and Rangiwaea Island.