Hen and Chickens Islands
In the distance, from left to right: the Chickens, Hen Island, Sail Rock
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| Coordinates | 35°56′S 174°44′E / 35.933°S 174.733°ECoordinates: 35°56′S 174°44′E / 35.933°S 174.733°E |
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The Hen and Chicken Islands (usually known collectively as the Hen and Chickens) lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They lie 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Bream Head and 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Whangarei.
These islands were named by Captain James Cook, who first sighted them in 1769. It has been suggested that the name was inspired by an old name for the star cluster usually known as the Pleiades (and called Matariki by the Māori).
Originally owned by the Māori Ngā Puhi iwi, they were sold to the New Zealand Government in 1883. The islands were made a scenic reserve in 1908 owing to the rarity of their flora and fauna, and became a wildlife refuge in 1953. Hen Island had actually passed from Māori hands a few years earlier, being bought by Thomas Outhwaite in 1872. It was bequeathed to the nation by his daughter Isa Outhwaite in 1927, and it too was named as a scenic reserve.
In June 1940, the Mail Liner RMS Niagara sank off the islands after hitting a mine. Most of the cargo, which included gold bullion, was later salvaged.
The islands are noted for their bird life, with colonies of seabirds as well as forest birds which have become scarce or extinct on the mainland. The islands have been identified as an Important Bird Area, by BirdLife International because they are home to a breeding population of about 500 pairs of Pycroft's petrels.
Hen Island, or Taranga lies separate from the rest of the chain, lying 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the southwest. It is also considerably larger than the Chicken Islands, or Marotiri, which comprise a chain of five small islands running north-west to south-east to the north of Hen Island. The chain consists of Wareware and Muriwhenua Islands (together forming North West Chicken), Mauitaha (West Chicken), Lady Alice Island (Big Chicken or Motu Muka), Whatupuke (Middle Chicken), and Coppermine Island (Eastern Chicken).
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Wikipedia