| Kamau Taurua (Māori) | |
|---|---|
Looking across Port Chalmers to the Otago Peninsula. Quarantine Island is visible to the left of the picture, and Goat Island in the centre. |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Otago Harbour |
| Area | 15 ha (37 acres) |
| Country | |
Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua is the largest island in Otago Harbour, close to the city of Dunedin, New Zealand.
The island covers an area of 15 hectares (37 acres), and is mainly a publicly accessible recreation reserve. The major buildings on the island are listed with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust[1] and owned by the St Martin Island Community.
The island served as the quarantine station for Otago from 1863 until 1924. When ships arrived in Otago harbour with infectious diseases, the passengers were sent to Quarantine Island until they were well or died. There is a small cemetery on the island.
Only one of the quarantine buildings from these years is still standing, and this has currently begun to be restored. It has a NZ Historic Places Trust Category 1 classification. After the quarantine station closed the island was leased. Now the area around the buildings is leased by St Martin Island Community, established in 1958 for work and worship on the island, and the remainder jointly managed by the Department of Conservation and the Community. For 50 years there has been a great deal of, still ongoing, reforestation and replanting.
In 1996 as part of the Ngai Tahu settlement the name of Kamau Taurua,[2] meaning 'a place to set nets' was restored as part of the official name.[3]
A smaller island, Goat Island/Rangiriri, lies close to Quarantine Island. Both islands lie across the harbour between the town of Port Chalmers and the marine laboratory on Portobello Peninsula, part of the Otago Peninsula.
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