Bowentown, Western Bay of Plenty
An island 26 km off the Bay of Plenty coast with a history of violent volcanic upheaval, bearing the same name as the Island source of obsidian, in the ancesteral home of the Maori, Hawaiki. This Tuhua Island is also a noted source of obsidian, prized and fought over by the early Maori. The reserve covers about three square nautical miles at the northern end of the Island.
Managed by a board of Trustees, the island itself is 1277 hectares, correctly and dramatically described by the Department of Conservation as a collapsed volcano on the edge of a continental shelf. The landscape is indeed dramatic, rough, sharp and surprising, those who venture inland will find the elegantly named green lake, Aroarotamahine, Mount Opuahau (only 350m high) and a lake that is nearly black, called Te Paritu.
A nature reserve since 1953, the island is home to many species of native birds, including threatened robins, kiwi, and kakariki, the orange fronted parakeet.
Visiting requires permission from the Tuhua Trust Board, they will also be able to advise on transport.
Image Credit: (edited) Henning Axt
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