Chatham Island/Rekohu

"Chatham Island" redirects here. For other uses, see Chatham Island (disambiguation).

Chatham Island

Rekohu (Moriori) Wharekauri (Māori)
Chatham Island from space.
Map showing location of Chatham Island
Geography
Coordinates	43°54′S 176°29′W
Archipelago	Chatham Islands
Area	347 sq mi (899 km2)
Country
New Zealand
Demographics
Population	about 300

Chatham Island is by far the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand, — not exactly "halfway between the equator and the pole, and right on the International Date Line" but close enough for tourism marketing purposes. Chatham Island was named after the survey ship HMS Chatham which was the first European ship to locate the island in 1791 ^{[citation needed]}. It covers an area of 347 square miles (899 km²).

The island is also known by two other names, the Maori name of Wharekauri and the Moriori name of Rekohu (meaning misty skies).

The geography of the roughly T-shaped island is dominated by three features: two bays and a lagoon.

Flag of Chatham Islands

More than half of the west coast of Chatham is taken up by the deep indentation of Petre Bay. The island's main settlement of Waitangi is located in a small indentation in Petre Bay's southern sage.

On the east coast is the even larger Hanson Bay, which stretches for the entire 22 miles (35.4 km) length of the island.

The ten kilometre width of the island, between these two bays, is entirely illusory. Much of it is taken up by the large Te Whanga Lagoon, which drains to the sea in the southern half of Hanson Bay. This lagoon covers about 69 square miles (179 km²), and drains several small rivers that rise in the hills at the south end of the island.

Chatham Islands date their anniversary on November 29, and observe it November 30.

See also

• Chatham Standard Time Zone
• List of sub-Antarctic islands
• List of Antarctic islands north of 60° S
• List of islands of New Zealand