Cheeseman Island (right) and Curtis Island from north. |
|
Map |
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Archipelago | Kermadec Islands |
| Area | 7.6 ha (19 acres) |
| Country | |
Cheeseman Island is a 7.6 ha (19-acre) rocky volcanic island in the southwest Pacific Ocean (located at ). It is named after T. F. Cheeseman of the Auckland Museum - who was on board the NZ Government steamer 'Stella' when it visited the island in 1887. It neighbours Curtis Island to the east and lies about 20 km (12 mi) south of Macauley Island. They are part of the Kermadec Islands, a straggling outlying island group of New Zealand. The Kermadec Islands lie halfway between the North Island of New Zealand and Tonga at approximately the latitude of the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Contents |
Apart from a short stretch of its west coast, the island is bordered by cliffs, making access from the sea difficult. It is rugged and rocky, with little woody vegetation. Between the two high points of the island is a central valley where the vegetation is dominated by the sedge Cyperus ustulatus, while the surrounding slopes are dominated by a mix of Parietaria debilis and iceplant. Seabirds breeding on the island include the Kermadec and Black-winged Petrels, Kermadec Little Shearwater and Sooty Tern.
|
|||||||