Pomona Island facts for kids
Pomona Island in Lake Manapouri
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 Pomona Island
Location in New Zealand
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Lake Manapouri |
| Coordinates | 45°30′30″S 167°28′30″E / 45.50833°S 167.47500°E |
| Area | 2.62 km2 (1.01 sq mi) |
| Length | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Width | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 511 m (1,677 ft) |
| Administration | |
Pomona Island is the biggest island in Lake Manapouri, located in New Zealand's South Island. It's part of the beautiful Fiordland National Park. This island is about 262 hectares (647 acres) in size. This makes it the largest island found in any lake in New Zealand!
The island has no people living on it. It sits near the entrance to the lake's southern arm. This is about 11 kilometres west of the town of Manapouri. To its north, a 500-meter wide area of water called Hurricane Passage separates the island from the mainland. Surveyor James McKerrow named Pomona Island in 1862. He named it after the main island of Scotland's Orkney Islands.
Nature on Pomona Island
The forests in Fiordland National Park are usually full of beech and podocarp trees. Below these tall trees, you can find many different ferns and shrubs. For example, the crown fern (Lomaria discolor) is a common plant found on the forest floor. Pomona Island is part of this forest area. It is almost completely covered in native trees and plants. The forest also has kāmahi and rātā trees.
Since all the animal pests that were brought to the island have been removed, the plants and birds on the island are much healthier.
Pomona Island is a round-topped granite hill. It is made of a type of rock called Pomona Granite. This special rock was named after the island itself.
Helping Pomona Island: The Charitable Trust
Pomona Island has its own special group called the Pomona Island Charitable Trust. This group was started in July 2005. Their main goal is to bring the island back to how it was before new animals, called pests, arrived. They want to make sure the island's native plants and animals are healthy and safe.
The Trust has several important aims:
- To get rid of all harmful mammal pests from Pomona Island. This helps to keep the island's native plants and animals in great shape.
- To bring back native birds to Fiordland. They do this by helping birds move to the island or letting them come back naturally.
- To create a safe home for birds that are endangered or threatened. This helps these birds to have more babies and grow their populations.
- To watch over all the conservation work. They check how their actions are helping the island's biodiversity, which means all the different kinds of life there.
