Chatham Island
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox islands Chatham Island (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) (Moriori: Template:Lang, Template:Abbr 'Misty Sun'; Template:Langx) is the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is said to be "halfway between the equator and the pole, and right on the International Date Line", although that point is 173 milesTemplate:Clarify WSW of the island's westernmost point. The Moriori are the first settlers of the Chatham Islands. The island is called Rekohu ("misty skies") in Moriori, and Wharekauri in Māori.<ref name="polp">Government of New Zealand, Dept. of Conservation (1999) Chatham IslandsConservation Management Strategy Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 13 July 2012.</ref>
The island was named after the survey ship HMS Chatham which was the first European ship to locate the island in 1791.<ref name="Hooper2006">Template:Cite book</ref> It covers an area of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chatham Island lies Template:Convert south-east of Cape Turnagain, the nearest point of mainland New Zealand.
Geography
The geography of the roughly T-shaped island is dominated by three features: two bays and a lagoon. More than half of the west coast of Chatham is taken up by the deep indentation of Petre Bay. The island's main settlement of Waitangi is located in a small indentation in Petre Bay's southern coast. Other significant settlements are Kaingaroa on the northeast promontory and Owenga on the south side of Hanson Bay.
On the east coast is the larger Hanson Bay, which stretches the full length of the island (Template:Convert).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Much of the area between the bays is taken up by the large Te Whanga Lagoon, which drains to the sea to the east, into the southern half of Hanson Bay. This lagoon covers about Template:Convert,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and drains several small rivers that rise in the hills at the south end of the island. The next largest lakes are Rangitahi and Huro, northeast and southwest of Te Whanga.<ref name="nztopo">Chatham Island, NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 14 July 2012.</ref> The central and north part of Chatham Island are mostly flat, with altitudes ranging from a few metres on the northeast and centre to 50 m on the northwest, but with a few scattered hillocks.<ref name="nztopo"/> The south part is higher, generally sloping down towards north and west; about half of it is over 150 m above sea level. The south coast of the island is mostly cliffs 100 m high or more. The highest point of the island (299 m) lies close to its southernmost point.<ref name="nztopo"/>
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break
| Some north and central peaks<ref name="nztopo"/> | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Alt. | Coords |
| Chudleigh, Mount | 188 | Template:Coord |
| Diffenbach, Mount | 134 | Template:Coord |
| Hokopoi | 151 | Template:Coord |
| Korako | 178 | Template:Coord |
| Matakitaki | 155 | Template:Coord |
| Maunganui | 178 | Template:Coord |
| Motoroporo | 112 | Template:Coord |
| Motuariki | 125 | Template:Coord |
| Puhina | 99 | Template:Coord |
| Rangitihi | 149 | Template:Coord |
| Tawirikoko | 109 | Template:Coord |
| Some south peaks<ref name="nztopo"/> | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Alt. | Coords |
| Karore | 282 | Template:Coord |
| Maungatere Hill | 294 | Template:Coord |
| Oehau | 205 | Template:Coord |
| Oropuke | 287 | Template:Coord |
| Rangaika | 264 | Template:Coord |
| Rangitane | 225 | Template:Coord |
| Whakamarino | 237 | Template:Coord |
| unnamed hill | 299 | Template:Coord |
Climate
Chatham Island has an oceanic climate (Koppen: Cfb)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> characterised by a narrow temperature range and relatively frequent rainfall. Its position far from any sizeable landmass renders the record high temperature for the main settlement (Waitangi) just Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The climate is cool, wet and windy, with average high temperatures between Template:Cvt in summer, and between Template:Cvt in July (in the Southern Hemisphere winter). Snowfall is extremely rare, the fall recorded near sea level in July 2015 marking the first such reading for several decades.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Under the Trewartha climate classification, Chatham Island has a humid subtropical climate (Cf) for the lack of cold weather during the winter and a daily mean temperature above Template:Cvt for eight months or more. Template:Weather box
Flora and fauna
Chatham Island hosts the only known breeding population of the endemic and critically endangered magenta petrel or tāiko (Pterodroma magentae). The seabird was thought to be extinct until 1978, and had a population of under 200 in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web The indicated year is based on the change in the specified population in the preceding archived webpage.</ref>
In popular culture
Chatham Island (or "Isle") is featured in the first and in the final chapter of Cloud Atlas, the 2004 novel by David Mitchell. The novel was adapted for screen in 2012.<ref name="David Walsh 2 November 2012">Template:Cite web</ref>