Port Pegasus
Encyclopedia
Port Pegasus is located at the southern end of Stewart Island
in New Zealand
. From the 1890s to the 1950s, Port Pegasus was the site of a small fishing
community. There was also a small tin
-mining boom in the area in the 1890s. Today, there is no settlement at Port Pegasus, but the location is frequented by tourists, fishermen, hunters, and divers.
In 1809, when William W. Stewart visited and mapped the island that was later named after him, he named the small bay "South Port". Later, it was re-named "Port Pegasus" to commemorate the Pegasus, Stewart's ship.
At the end of the 1970s near the Tin Range the Kakapo
was re-discovered.
Port Pegasus is only accessible by boat or by foot via an arduous hiking trail from Oban
that was first marked out by Stewart Island ranger Roy Traill
.
Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is slightly over 400 people, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban.- History and naming :...
in 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...
. From the 1890s to the 1950s, Port Pegasus was the site of a small fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
community. There was also a small tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
-mining boom in the area in the 1890s. Today, there is no settlement at Port Pegasus, but the location is frequented by tourists, fishermen, hunters, and divers.
In 1809, when William W. Stewart visited and mapped the island that was later named after him, he named the small bay "South Port". Later, it was re-named "Port Pegasus" to commemorate the Pegasus, Stewart's ship.
At the end of the 1970s near the Tin Range the Kakapo
Kakapo
The Kakapo , Strigops habroptila , also called owl parrot, is a species of large, flightless nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand...
was re-discovered.
Port Pegasus is only accessible by boat or by foot via an arduous hiking trail from Oban
Oban, New Zealand
Oban is the principal settlement on Stewart Island/Rakiura, the southernmost inhabited island of the New Zealand archipelago. Oban is located on Halfmoon Bay , on Paterson Inlet...
that was first marked out by Stewart Island ranger Roy Traill
Roy Traill
Robert Henry "Roy" Traill was a resident and wildlife ranger of Stewart Island in New Zealand. In the course of his work, Traill hiked throughout most the island and as a result became a source of information on the biota of the island for botanists and zoologists.Traill was born in Ringaringa,...
.