Great Barrier Island

The Great Barrier Island (English Great Barrier Iceland ) is an island in the north of New Zealand. It is located 88 km north-east of Auckland, the nearest town on the North Island of New Zealand, away. In the language of Māori, the island is called Aotea ( White Cloud ).

The maximum extent ( north-south) of the island is approximately 35 km. She is the Hauraki Gulf in front and protects these so before storms. The Great Barrier Island is 285 km ² in size and making it the sixth largest island of New Zealand on the South Island, the North Island, Stewart Island and the main islands of the Chatham Islands and the Aucklandinseln. Currently, about 850 people live year-round on the island, in the summer, many tourists.

End of the 19th century, it drew mainly loggers and prospectors on the Great Barrier Island, but only every 16 days could be supplied from a ship to postal services. As capital of Tryphena was applied to the southern tip of the island, other small settlements or farms bore the names of Port Fitzroy, Okupu, Whangaparapara, Claris and Kaitoke. Walter Fricker, therefore, opened 1896 Taubenpost line that existed until the opening of a telegraph line 1908. Surviving letters of this pigeon post and specially produced stamps are enjoying great popularity with philatelists.