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List of islands of New Zealand facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Rangitoto Island as seen from Mount Victoria Reserve in Devonport, North Shore City 20100128 1
Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland
White Island volcano, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - panoramio (8)
Whakaari / White Island in the Bay of Plenty

New Zealand is a country made up of over six hundred islands! Most of these islands are what's left of a much bigger landmass called Zealandia, which is now mostly under the sea. New Zealand is the sixth-largest island country in the world. It's also the third-largest country located completely in the Southern Hemisphere. This article will tell you all about the amazing islands that make up New Zealand.

The two biggest islands are where most people in New Zealand live. They have names in both English and in the Māori language. These are the North Island, also known as Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu. Different Māori iwi (tribes) sometimes use other names. For example, some prefer to call the South Island Te Waka o Aoraki. The Cook Strait is a stretch of water that separates these two main islands. When people talk about the "mainland" in New Zealand, they usually mean both the North and South Islands. However, people living on the South Island sometimes jokingly call it "the mainland" by itself because it's the larger of the two.

South of the South Island, you'll find Stewart Island / Rakiura. This is the largest of New Zealand's smaller islands. In the busy Auckland Region, Waiheke Island has the most people living on it among the smaller islands.

New Zealand's Biggest Islands: By Size

This section lists the largest islands in New Zealand based on their size. We're not including islands found in river deltas, like Rakaia Island, or temporary islands in braided rivers. We're also not including tidal islands, like Rabbit Island, Nelson. The largest island found inside a lake is Pomona Island, which is about 2.6 square kilometers.

Rank Name of island Indigenous name Area (km2)  % of NZ area Population
1 South Island or Te Waipounamu Te Wahi Pounamu, Te Waka a Māui, Te Waka o Aoraki 150,437 56.2% 1,225,000
2 North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui Aotearoa 113,729 42.3% 3,997,300
3 Stewart Island / Rakiura Te Punga o Te Waka-a-Māui 1,683 0.6% 400
4 Chatham Island Rekohu (Moriori); Wharekauri (Māori) 900 0.3% 600
5 Auckland Island Mauka Huka 510 0.2% 0
6 Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island) 285 0.1% 850
7 Resolution Island Mauīkatau, Tau Moana 208.87 0.1% 0
8 Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island 150 <0.1% About 52
9 Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku 112.68 <0.1% 0
10 Adams Island 100 <0.1% 0
11 Waiheke Island 92 <0.1% 9,420
12 Secretary Island Kā Tū-waewae-o-Tū 81.4 <0.1% 0
13 Arapaoa Island 75 <0.1% 50
14 Pitt Island (Rangiauria) Rangiaotea (Moriori) 62 <0.1% 38
15 Matakana Island 60 <0.1% 225
16 Raoul Island Rangitahua 29.4 <0.1% 0
17 Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island Hauturu 28 ~0.0% 0
18 Rangitoto Island 23.1 ~0.0% 0
19 Antipodes Island 20 ~0.0% 0
20 Kapiti Island 19.7 ~0.0% 0
21 Kawau Island 19 ~0.0% 81
22 Long Island Motu Roa 18.99 ~0.0% 0
23 Cooper Island Ao-ata-te-pō 17.79 ~0.0% 0
24 Ponui Island / Chamberlins Island Te Pounui-o-Peretū 17.7 ~0.0% 0
25 Great Mercury Island (Ahuahu) 17.2 ~0.0% 0
26 Ruapuke Island 16 ~0.0% 0
27 Motutapu Island 15.1 ~0.0% 0
28 Codfish Island / Whenua Hou 14 ~0.0% 0
29 Mayor Island / Tūhua 13 ~0.0% 0
30 Coal Island Te Puka-Hereka 11.6 ~0.0% 0
31 Anchor Island Pukenui 11.37 ~0.0% 0
32 Mōtītī Island 10 ~0.0% 27
33 Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island 9.4 ~0.0% 0

New Zealand's Tallest Islands: By Highest Point

This table lists New Zealand's islands by their highest point above sea level. These islands are either in harbours or out in the open sea. Did you know the tallest island within a lake is Pomona Island? It rises 511 meters (about 333 meters above the lake's usual water level) in Lake Manapouri!

Rank Name of island Highest point (m) Name of peak Type of peak
1 South Island or Te Waipounamu 3,754 Aoraki/Mount Cook Tectonic
2 North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui 2,797 Mount Ruapehu Volcanic
3 Secretary Island 1,196 Mount Grono Tectonic
4 Resolution Island 1,069 Mount Clerke Tectonic
5 Stewart Island / Rakiura 980 Mount Anglem / Hananui Tectonic
6 Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island 729 Takapōtaka / Attempt Hill Tectonic
7 Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island 722 Mount Hauturu Volcanic
8 Adams Island 705 Mount Dick Volcanic
9 Auckland Island 659 Cavern Peak Volcanic
10 Great Barrier Island 627 Mount Hobson Tectonic
11 Long Island 620 Unnamed Tectonic
12 Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku 569 Mount Honey Volcanic
13 Arapaoa Island 559 Narawhia Tectonic
14 Cooper Island 523 Unnamed Tectonic
15 Kapiti Island 521 Tuteremoana Tectonic
16 Raoul Island 516 Moumoukai Peak Volcanic
17= Anchor Island 417 Unnamed Tectonic
17= Taranga (Hen) Island 417 The Pinnacles Tectonic
19 Bauza Island 383 Unnamed Tectonic
20 Maud Island/Te Hoiere 368 Unnamed Tectonic
21 Antipodes Island 366 Mount Galloway Volcanic
22 Forsyth Island 356 Unnamed Tectonic
23 Mayor Island / Tūhua 355 Opuahau Volcanic
24 Moutohora Island 353 Motu Hara Volcanic
25 Breaksea Island 350 Unnamed Tectonic
26 Solander Island / Hautere 330 Unnamed Volcanic
27 Whakaari / White Island 321 Mount Gisborne Volcanic
28 Chatham Island 299 Unnamed Volcanic
29 Blumine Island / Oruawairua 298 Unnamed Tectonic
30 Manawatāwhi/Great Island 295 Unnamed Tectonic
31 Mangere Island (Chatham Islands) 292 Whakapa Tectonic
32 Stephens Island / Takapourewa 283 Unnamed Tectonic
33 Rangitoto Island 260 Rangitoto Volcanic
34 Coal Island 251 Unnamed Tectonic
35 Codfish Island / Whenua Hou 250 Unnamed Tectonic
36 Nukuwaiata Island 247 Unnamed Tectonic
37 Pitt Island / Rangiauria 241 Waihere Tectonic
38 Macauley Island 238 Mount Haszard Volcanic
39 Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island 235 Unnamed Tectonic
40 Whatupuke Island 234 Unnamed Tectonic
41= Great Mercury Island (Ahuahu) 231 Mount Mohi Volcanic
41= Waiheke Island 231 Maunganui Tectonic
43 Jacquemart Island 229 Unnamed Volcanic
44 Wakaterepapanui Island 225 Unnamed Tectonic
45 South East Island / Rangatira 224 Unnamed Tectonic
46 Rakitu Island 220 Unnamed Tectonic
47 Aorangi Island 216 Unnamed Tectonic
48= Cuvier Island 214 Unnamed Tectonic
48= Little Mangere Island 214 Whakapa Tectonic
50 Moekawa / South West Island 207 Unnamed Tectonic
51 Bollons Island 202 Unnamed Volcanic
52 Indian Island 196 Unnamed Tectonic
53 Tawhiti Rahi Island 191 Unnamed Tectonic
54 Tinui Island (Rangitoto Islands) 190 Unnamed Tectonic
55 Matapara / Pickersgill Island 186 Unnamed Tectonic
56= Great Island 185 Unnamed Tectonic
56= Kaikōura Island 185 Mitre Peak Tectonic
56= Pearl Island 185 Unnamed Tectonic
59 Coppermine Island 184 Huarewa Tectonic
60 Kawau Island 182 Grey Heights Tectonic
61 Te Kakaho Island 179 Unnamed Tectonic
62 Motukawanui Island 177 Maungapouri Tectonic
63 Ōhau / West Island 177 Unnamed Tectonic
64 Motutapere Island 175 Unnamed Tectonic
65 Ponui Island 173 Ponui Tectonic
66 Motuoruhi Island 169 Unnamed Tectonic
67 Lady Alice Island 158 Unnamed Tectonic
68 The Castle / Rangiwheau 156 Unnamed Tectonic
69 Long Island, Marlborough 152 Unnamed Tectonic
70 Noble Island 154 Unnamed Tectonic
71 Chalky Island 151 Unnamed Tectonic
72= Red Mercury Island 150 Unnamed Volcanic
72= Puangiangi Island 150 Unnamed Tectonic

Islands in Harbours and the Open Sea

New Zealand has many islands located in its harbours and out in the open ocean. Here's a list of some of them:

Islands in Rivers and Lakes

New Zealand also has many islands found within its rivers and lakes. Here are some of them:

Outlying Islands of New Zealand

Main article: New Zealand outlying islands

New Zealand also looks after several islands that are far away from its main landmass. Only the Chatham Islands have people living on them all the time, though some others used to. These distant islands are often visited by scientists, conservationists, weather observers, and tourists.

Topographical map of the Antipodes Islands in English
Topographical map of Antipodes Islands

The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands are so special that they are named a World Heritage Site.

Islands in the Realm of New Zealand

These islands are part of the wider "Realm of New Zealand," but they are not actually part of New Zealand itself. They are self-governing countries or territories that have a special link with New Zealand.

New Zealand's Claims in Antarctica

New Zealand also has a claim to a part of Antarctica called the Ross Dependency. This area includes several islands:

See also

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List of islands of New Zealand Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.