Cuvier Island facts for kids
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Repanga (Māori)
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 Cuvier Island
Location in New Zealand
Location of Cuvier Island.
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 36°26′S 175°46′E / 36.433°S 175.767°E |
| Area | 1.95 km2 (0.75 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 214 m (702 ft) |
| Administration | |
Cuvier Island is a small uninhabited island off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the seaward end of the Colville Channel, 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the Mercury Islands and approximately 23 km (14 mi) south-east of Great Barrier Island. The 195 ha (480 acres) island is a wildlife sanctuary, managed by the Department of Conservation and is the subject of an ongoing island restoration project to eliminate non-native mammals and restore the original ecosystem. It is also the location of the Cuvier Island Lighthouse which was constructed in 1889 and the wreck of the old HMNZS Philomel which was scuttled near the island on 6 August 1949 after decommissioning and being stripped of useful equipment.
Important Bird Area
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its small breeding colony of vulnerable Pycroft's petrels.
Name
The Māori name of the island is Repanga. The name Cuvier was given by D'Urville, naming it after Baron Cuvier.
