Ponui Island
.svg)  Ponui Island Location in New Zealand | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°52′S 175°11′E / 36.867°S 175.183°E |
| Area | 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 173 m (568 ft) |
| Highest point | Ponui |
| Administration | |
Ponui Island (also known as Chamberlin's Island) is a privately owned island located in the Hauraki Gulf, to the east of the city of Auckland, New Zealand.[1] It is located to the southeast of Waiheke Island, at the eastern end of the Tamaki Strait, which separates the island from the Hunua Ranges on the mainland to the south.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long night" for Pōnui.[2] The island is the site of some of the earliest archaeological remains of early Māori in the Auckland region, dating to at least the 1400s.[3]
The first record of land purchase for Ponui Island was on 23 September 1826 by the New Zealand Company in their earliest planned venture to colonise New Zealand.[4] Three other Islands were purchased at this time, Pakatoa Island, Rotorua Island and Pakihi Island. It is recorded that the land was sold for one double-barreled gun, eight muskets, and one barrel of gunpowder, with the deed translated and signed by Thomas Kendall, and witnessed by three men from the ship Rosanna and 15 Māori.[5][6]
The island has an area of 18 km2 and has been farmed by the Chamberlin family since 1853.[7][8] The island now consists of three farms, two owned by the Chamberlin family and one by John Spencer.[7] The only permanent inhabitants (nine in the 2001 census) are associated with the farms which are predominantly used for sheep. From the 1880s until the early 20th century, stone and sand from the island was extracted for use in concrete structures in Auckland.[9]
The island is a popular site for youth camps for organisations such as Scouts. Crusader camps (now under the banner of Scripture Union) have been held on the island since 1932.[10]
The island is the home of New Zealand's only feral donkey breed, the Ponui donkey. It also has a large population of kiwi.[7][11]
Shipwrecks
[edit]The Pupuke, a passenger ferry built in 1909, beached at Ponui Island in 1962 at Oranga Bay.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ponui Island (Chamberlins Island), Auckland - NZ Topo Map". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
- ^ Davidson, Janet M. (1978). "Auckland Prehistory: A Review". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 15: 1–14. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906259. OCLC 270925589. Wikidata Q58677062.
- ^ "New Zealand Company", Wikipedia, 28 January 2025, retrieved 17 March 2025
- ^ "NZMS-0774B". kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand Company ships", Wikipedia, 7 September 2024, retrieved 17 March 2025
- ^ a b c Lee, Mike (25 April 2011). Rediscovered! Ponui Island’s ‘lost tribe’ of kiwi.
- ^ TANK 25, 1979: AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY FIELD CLUB SCIENTIFIC TRIP TO PONUI ISLAND, AUGUST 1978
- ^ "Auckland Council District Plan - Hauraki Gulf Islands Section - Operative 2013: The history of human settlement of the islands" (PDF). Auckland City Council. 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ Scripture Union: The Ponui Story
- ^ ResearchSpace at The University of Auckland: The ecology of ship rats (Rattus rattus) on Ponui Island: implications for North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
- ^ "What happened to the steam ferries?". Steam Ferry Toroa. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ Auckland Council Libraries (1966). "Oranga Bay, Ponui Island". kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
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