Rakiura National Park
Encyclopedia
Rakiura National Park is a nature reserve park located on Stewart Island/Rakiura
, New Zealand
. It is the 14th of New Zealand's national park
s and was officially opened on 9 March 2002. It covers 1,570 km², which is about 85% of Stewart Island, New Zealand's third-largest island. The park area excludes the township area around Halfmoon Bay (Oban
) and some roads as well as private or Maori-owned land further inland. It is made up of a network of former nature reserve
s, scenic reserves, and State Forest areas.
is within the national park. Many native bird
s can be found within in the park, and Rakiura offers perhaps the best opportunity anywhere in New Zealand for viewing kiwi
in the wild. This is in part due to the absence of stoat
s and ferret
s. Certain coastal areas of this Park are breeding areas for the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin
.
Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is slightly over 400 people, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban.- History and naming :...
, 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...
. It is the 14th of New Zealand's national park
National parks of New Zealand
The national parks of New Zealand are 14 protected areas administered by the Department of Conservation "for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of the public". These are popular tourist destinations, with three-tenths of tourists visiting at least one national park during their stay in New Zealand...
s and was officially opened on 9 March 2002. It covers 1,570 km², which is about 85% of Stewart Island, New Zealand's third-largest island. The park area excludes the township area around Halfmoon Bay (Oban
Oban, New Zealand
Oban is the principal settlement on Stewart Island/Rakiura, the southernmost inhabited island of the New Zealand archipelago. Oban is located on Halfmoon Bay , on Paterson Inlet...
) and some roads as well as private or Maori-owned land further inland. It is made up of a network of former nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s, scenic reserves, and State Forest areas.
Natural history
The popular Rakiura TrackRakiura Track
The Rakiura Track is a 29 km tramping track located on Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand. It is one of the New Zealand Great Walks. It generally follows the coastline for a large parts of its length, passing small inlets, large bays and mudflats, before crossing steep hills covered in bush ...
is within the national park. Many native bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s can be found within in the park, and Rakiura offers perhaps the best opportunity anywhere in New Zealand for viewing kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
in the wild. This is in part due to the absence of stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
s and ferret
Ferret
The ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
s. Certain coastal areas of this Park are breeding areas for the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin
Yellow-eyed Penguin
The Yellow-eyed Penguin or Hoiho is a penguin native to New Zealand. Previously thought closely related to the Little Penguin , molecular research has shown it more closely related to penguins of the genus Eudyptes...
.