Ponui Island
Encyclopedia
Ponui Island, also known as Chamberlin's Island, is located in the Hauraki Gulf
, to the east of the city of Auckland
, New Zealand
. It is located to the southeast of Waiheke Island
, at the eastern end of the Tamaki Strait
, which separates the island from the Hunua Ranges
on the mainland to the south.
The island is virtually uninhabited (the population was nine in 2001), and has an area of 18 km². The island is broken into three blocks of farmland under separate titles, with sheep being the main product. The Chamberlin family has farmed Ponui for five generations.
The island is a popular site for youth camps for organisations such as Scouts
. Crusader camps (now under the banner of Scripture Union) started on the island in 1932. The camps continue, and 2007 marked the 75th anniversary of Scripture Union camping on Ponui.
The island is the home of New Zealand's only feral donkey
breed, the Ponui donkey
and also New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi
. There is a natural spring on the island which is the endpoint of an aquifer
originating in the Coromandel peninsula. There is a small wind farm on the northern tip.
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
, to the east of the city of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located to the southeast of Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, located about from Auckland.The island is the second-largest in the Hauraki Gulf after Great Barrier Island. It is the most populated, with nearly 8,000 permanent residents plus another estimated 3,400 who have second or holiday homes...
, at the eastern end of the Tamaki Strait
Tamaki Strait
The Tamaki Strait is one of several passes between the islands of the inner Hauraki Gulf, close to the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour near Auckland city in New Zealand....
, which separates the island from the Hunua Ranges
Hunua Ranges
The Hunua Ranges form a block of hilly country to the southeast of Auckland in New Zealand's North Island. They cover some 250 square kilometres , containing 178 km² of parkland, and rise to 688 metres at Kohukohunui...
on the mainland to the south.
The island is virtually uninhabited (the population was nine in 2001), and has an area of 18 km². The island is broken into three blocks of farmland under separate titles, with sheep being the main product. The Chamberlin family has farmed Ponui for five generations.
The island is a popular site for youth camps for organisations such as Scouts
Scouting New Zealand
Scouts New Zealand, officially registered as "The Scout Association of New Zealand" is the national Scouting association in New Zealand, affiliated to the World Organization of the Scout Movement since 1953. It has 18,649 members...
. Crusader camps (now under the banner of Scripture Union) started on the island in 1932. The camps continue, and 2007 marked the 75th anniversary of Scripture Union camping on Ponui.
The island is the home of New Zealand's only feral donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
breed, the Ponui donkey
Ponui donkey
Ponui donkey has two related meanings:* a feral herd of donkeys established on Ponui Island, New Zealand. The herd is descended from three individuals released in the 1880s.* a breed of donkey derived from this herd, also known as New Zealand donkeys....
and also New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
. There is a natural spring on the island which is the endpoint of an aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
originating in the Coromandel peninsula. There is a small wind farm on the northern tip.