Cheeseman Island

Cheeseman Island

Cheeseman Island (right) and Curtis Island from north.
Map
Geography
Coordinates	30°32′12″S 178°34′05″W / 30.53667°S 178.56806°W / -30.53667; -178.56806
Archipelago	Kermadec Islands
Area	7.6 ha (19 acres)
Country
New Zealand

Cheeseman Island is a 7.6 ha (19-acre) rocky volcanic island in the southwest Pacific Ocean (located at 30°32′12″S 178°34′05″W / 30.53667°S 178.56806°W / -30.53667; -178.56806). It is named after T. F. Cheeseman of the Auckland Museum - who was on board the NZ Government steamer 'Stella' when it visited the island in 1887. It neighbours Curtis Island to the east and lies about 20 km (12 mi) south of Macauley Island. They are part of the Kermadec Islands, a straggling outlying island group of New Zealand. The Kermadec Islands lie halfway between the North Island of New Zealand and Tonga at approximately the latitude of the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Flora and fauna

Apart from a short stretch of its west coast, the island is bordered by cliffs, making access from the sea difficult. It is rugged and rocky, with little woody vegetation. Between the two high points of the island is a central valley where the vegetation is dominated by the sedge Cyperus ustulatus, while the surrounding slopes are dominated by a mix of Parietaria debilis and iceplant. Seabirds breeding on the island include the Kermadec and Black-winged Petrels, Kermadec Little Shearwater and Sooty Tern.

See also

• List of islands of New Zealand

References

• Greene, T.C.; Scofield, R.P.; & Dilks, P.J. (July 2004). Status of Kermadec red-crowned parakeets and the likely effects of a proposed kiore eradication programme. Macauley Island expedition July 2002. DOC Science Internal Series 179. Wellington: Department of Conservation, New Zealand. ISBN 0–478–22579–2. http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/dsis179.pdf. 

External links

• Kermadec Marine Reserve (New Zealand Department of Conservation)