Stewart Island/Rakiura

Geography

The island has an area of 1746 km2. The north of the island is dominated by the swampy valley of the Freshwater River. The river rises close to the island's northwestern coast and flows southeast into the large indentation of Paterson Inlet. The highest peak on the island is Mt Anglem, close to the northern coast, at a height of 979 metres. It is one of the peaks in a rim of ridges which surround the Freshwater valley.

Related Topics:
Freshwater River - Paterson Inlet - Mt Anglem

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The southern half of the island is more uniformly undulating, rising to a ridge that runs south from the valley of the Rakeahua River, which also flows into Paterson Inlet. The southernmost point in this ridge is Mt. Allen, at 750 metres. In the southeast, the land is somewhat lower, and is drained by the valleys of the Toitoi, Lords and Heron rivers. South Cape in Stewart Island/Rakiura's southwest, is the southern most point of the main islands of New Zealand.

Related Topics:
Rakeahua River - Mt. Allen - Toitoi - Lords - Heron - South Cape

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Mason Bay, on the east side of Stewart Island/Rakiura, is notable as a long sandy beach on an island where beaches are typically far more rugged. One suggestion is that the Bay was formed in the aftershock of a meteoric impact in the Tasman Sea.

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Three large and numerous small islands lie around the coast of Stewart Island/Rakiura. Notable among these are Ruapuke Island, which lies in Foveaux Strait 32 kilometres to the northeast of Oban, Codfish Island, which lies close to Stewart Island/Rakiura's northwest shore, and Big South Cape Island, located off the southwestern tip of Stewart Island/Rakiura. The Titi (Muttonbird) Island groups are located between Stewart Island/Rakiura and Ruapuke Island, around Big South Cape Island, and off Stewart Island/Rakiura's southeastern coast. Other islands of interest include Bench, Native, and Ulva Island, all close to the mouth of Paterson Inlet, and Pearl, Anchorage, and Noble Island, close to Port Pegasus in Stewart Island/Rakiura's southwest.

Related Topics:
Ruapuke Island - Codfish Island - Big South Cape Island - Titi (Muttonbird) Island - Bench - Native - Ulva Island - Paterson Inlet - Pearl - Anchorage - Noble Island - Port Pegasus

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