Mayor ( eng. Mayor Island ) - an island in New Zealand . Administratively it is within the territorial authority of the New Zealand region of the Bay of Plenty .
| Mayor | |
|---|---|
| English Mayor Island | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Square | 12.77 km² |
| Highest point | 354 m |
| Population | 0 people (2010) |
| Location | |
| Water area | Pacific Ocean |
| A country |
|
| Region | Bay of Plenty |
Geography
Geologically speaking, the island of Mayor is a sleeping shield volcano located in the bay of Plenty , near the North Island , about 35 km north of the city of Tauranga . The island supposedly formed around 120-35 thousand years ago [1] . The total land area is about 12.77 km² [2] . The surface of the Mayor is rather uneven, with a steep coast. The highest point, Mount Opuahau , reaches 354 m [2] .
There are plenty of geothermal springs [3] on the island, as well as two small crater lakes, Aroarotamakhin (the water is green) and Te-Parit (black water) [2] , located within two parallel calderas , which were formed during violent eruption of 36,000 and 6340 years ago. A large number of different types of eruptions took place at the Mayor: lava fountains, Strombolian, phreatic, plinian types of eruptions [4] . The most recent outpourings of lava occurred from 500 to 1000 years ago [1] .
The island is home to a large variety of birds, among which are the honey-makomako and the New Zealand thuja . Also, there is the iguana iglopok owl , the New Zealand kaka , the silver-eyed white-eye and other birds [2] .
History
Long before the advent of Europeans, the island was inhabited by the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori people , whose representatives highly valued the local obsidians , which they used as cutting material. Maori obsidian is called “Toohua” . Exactly the same name was given to the island. In addition, in the myths of Maori, Tuhua was also the name of the island of Meetia , located in the legendary Havaiki [2] .
The European discoverer of the Mayor was the British traveler James Cook , who opened it on November 3, 1769 . The navigator named the island in honor of the Lord Mayor’s Day, which was to be held in London in the coming days [5] [6] .
In 1836, the first Christian missionaries landed on the Mayor, whose activities greatly changed the lives of local Maoris. Simultaneously with the appearance of the first Europeans on the island, like in New Zealand, the role of obsidian, and therefore of the island Mayor, plummeted, so most of the islanders in search of better living conditions moved to the main part of the country. By the end of the XIX century, the island became uninhabited [5] .
Since 1953, the Mayor has the status of a reserve and is managed by the Tuhua Trust Board . In 1993, a marine reserve was established along the north coast of the island [2] .
Population
According to the 2006 census , the Mayor is uninhabited, although in 2001 3 people lived on it [7] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Mayor Island (English) . Global Volcanism Program. The appeal date is April 6, 2010. Archived April 22, 2012.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tuhua (Mayor Island) (Eng.) . New Zealand Department of Conservation. Archived April 22, 2012.
- ↑ Mayor Island Volcano (English) . John Seach. The appeal date is April 6, 2010. Archived April 22, 2012.
- ↑ VOLCANIC HAZARDS AT MAYOR ISLAND (English) (inaccessible link) . New Zealands volcanoes. The appeal date is April 6, 2010. Archived November 25, 2002.
- ↑ 1 2 TUHUA - (MAYOR ISLAND) // Ohinemuri Regional History Journal. - 1969. - № 11 .
- ↑ About Mayor Island (Eng.) . Tauranga Marine Charters. The appeal date is April 6, 2010. Archived April 22, 2012.
- ↑ 2006 Census: Final Counts Tables. Units in the Area Outside Territorial Authority, 1996, 2001 and 2006 (unavailable link) . Statistics New Zealand. The appeal date is April 6, 2010. Archived April 22, 2012.