# Motunau Island

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Island in New Zealand

Not to be confused with [Motunau / Plate Island](/source/Motunau_%2F_Plate_Island) in the Bay of Plenty.

Motunau Island Interactive map of Motunau Island Geography Location Pegasus Bay Coordinates 43°03′44″S 173°04′42″E / 43.0623°S 173.0782°E / -43.0623; 173.0782 Area 3 ha (7.4 acres) Length 300 m (1000 ft) Width 100 m (300 ft) Highest elevation 25 m (82 ft) Administration New Zealand South Island Region Canterbury District Hurunui

The island is an important breeding site for white-flippered penguins

**Motunau Island** is a small, 3 ha (7.4 acres), island [nature reserve](/source/Nature_reserve) lying 1.2 km (0.75 mi) off the coast of [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand)'s [South Island](/source/South_Island), at the northern end of [Pegasus Bay](/source/Pegasus_Bay), south of the mouth of the [Motunau River](/source/Motunau_River). The reserve is managed by the [Department of Conservation](/source/Department_of_Conservation_(New_Zealand)) and access is by permit only.[1]

## Description

About 300 m (980 ft) long by 100 m (330 ft) wide, the island has steep sides rising to a distinctive flat top some 25 m (82 ft) above sea level. Geologically, it consists of [Tertiary](/source/Tertiary_period) rocks, capped with [loess](/source/Loess) and [gravels](/source/Gravel), and surrounded by eroding cliffs and wave-cut [reefs](/source/Reef). The [soils](/source/Soil) are extensively burrowed by nesting [seabirds](/source/Seabird).[2]

## Flora and fauna

The island is an important site for [seabirds](/source/Seabirds). In 1967, it was the breeding site of an estimated 23,000 individual birds.[3] It is home to a [colony](/source/Bird_colony) of 5,000 [white-flippered penguins](/source/White-flippered_penguin). Other birds recorded as breeding there include [white-faced storm petrels](/source/White-faced_storm_petrel), [sooty shearwaters](/source/Sooty_shearwater), [fairy prions](/source/Fairy_prion), [variable oystercatchers](/source/Variable_oystercatcher) and [white-fronted terns](/source/White-fronted_tern).[2][3] The island has the only colony of white-faced storm petrels found along the coast between [Cook Strait](/source/Cook_Strait) and the [Otago Peninsula](/source/Otago_Peninsula).[3]

Three species of [lizard](/source/Lizard) inhabit the island, including the species *[Oligosoma elium](/source/Oligosoma_elium)*, which is considered 'Nationally Endangered'.[2]

[Fur seals](/source/Arctocephalus_forsteri) use rock platforms around the island as [haul-out sites](/source/Hauling-out).[2][3] An [elephant seal](/source/Mirounga_leonina) and a [Hooker's sealion](/source/Phocarctos_hookeri) have also been reported on the island.[3]

The main vegetation type on the island plateau is [introduced](/source/Introduced_species) [grassland](/source/Grassland). Cliffs and scarps support grassland and [herbfield](/source/Herbfield). There are patches of mixed [shrubland](/source/Shrubland), including many [introduced species](/source/Introduced_species).[2]

## Conservation status

The island has had protected status since 1935, when it became a wildlife refuge. In 1958 it was also designated a Reserve for the Preservation of Flora and Fauna. It is free of mammalian predators; rabbits were eradicated between 1958 and 1962.[3] Threats come from introduced [boxthorn](/source/Lycium) plants, which impale birds and block access to burrows, as well as from human disturbance resulting from unauthorised access.[2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Wilson, John (14 November 2012). ["Motunau Island"](http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/10173/motunau-island). *Canterbury places – Amberley district*. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 July 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-doc_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-doc_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-doc_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-doc_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-doc_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-doc_2-5) ["Motunau Island Nature Reserve"](http://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/about-doc/role/policies-and-plans/n34020_motunaislandnatres.pdf) (PDF). Department of Conservation, New Zealand. Retrieved 13 July 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lincoln1997_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lincoln1997_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Lincoln1997_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Lincoln1997_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Lincoln1997_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Lincoln1997_3-5) G.S. Beach, K-J. Wilson and C.A. Bannock (April 1997), *A Survey of Birds, Lizards and Mammals of Motunau Island, Canterbury, New Zealand. With Emphasis on the Effects of Vegetation Change on the Breeding Success of Burrowing Seabirds*, Lincoln University Wildlife Management Report 14, [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[10182/715](https://hdl.handle.net/10182%2F715)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Motunau Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motunau_Island) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motunau_Island?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.