The Brothers (New Zealand)
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°06′50″S 174°25′59″E / 41.114°S 174.433°E |
| Area | 0.17 km2 (0.066 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
The Brothers is a group of small islands in Cook Strait, New Zealand, off the east coast of Arapaoa Island.
The Brothers form two small island groups, each containing one main island and a number of tiny islets. The main islands are simply called North Brother and South Brother. South Brother is the larger of the two, covering some 9.5 hectares (23 acres), but the 4-hectare (9.9-acre) North Brother is slightly more elevated, rising to 66 metres (217 ft),[1] and is topped by the Brothers Islands Lighthouse, built in 1877.[2] Most of the smaller islets lie in a small arc south of North Brother, with the largest being only some one hectare in area.
The Māori name for the group, Ngāwhatu-kai-ponu literally means "the eyes that witnessed", and the islands are considered tapu to Māori.[2]
North Brother Island is a sanctuary for the rare reptile species, the Brothers Island tuatara and is the type locality for a rare beetle, the Amychus granulatus, although it is possibly extinct there now.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Topographical map
- ^ a b McKinnon, M. "Arapawa Island to Port Underwood", Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 18 Jun 2015. Accessed 15 September 2018.
- ^ Marris, John W. M.; Johnson, Paul J. (2010). "A revision of the New Zealand click beetle genus AmychusPascoe 1876 (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Denticollinae) with a description of a new species from the Three Kings Islands". Zootaxa. 2331: 35–56. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
External links
