D'Urville Island, New Zealand

D' Urville Iceland is an island in the Marlborough Sounds on the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is named after the French explorer Jules Dumont d' Urville and with an area of ​​about 150 square kilometers, the eighth largest island of New Zealand. It has a permanent population of around 52 The main town is Owhata in the southwest. The island reached its greatest height in the Attempt Hill of 729 meters.

The island's name in the language of Māori is Rangitoto Ki Te Tonga, the local Māori tribes are the Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Kuia.

North of the island runs the Cook Strait, which separates the two main islands of New Zealand. The island is the dangerous French Pass ( Māori: Te Aumiti ) separated from the mainland. The water flows through the passage tidal change with up to 8 knots (14 km / h), then creates several strudel. D' Urville examined the passage in 1827 for several days and damaged his ship. On the passage, the lighthouse facility French Pass Lighthouse was built in 1864. The main tower is on the mainland, another on an expiring from the island reef.

The Māori used the island before the arrival of Europeans to the extraction of minerals, especially the fine-grained sediment Gesteines Adzit, a particularly hard argillite, which they used for making of clubs and tools.

Large parts of the island are forested.

Minor islands around D' Urville Iceland are:

• In the North: Stephens Iceland, Wakaapani Te, Te Mokaipani, Nga Tamahineapani, Iceland Victory
• In the southeast: Steward Iceland, Iceland Anatakupu, Penguin Iceland
• In the Northeast: Wakaterapapanui Iceland, Puangiangi Iceland, Iceland Tinui
• In the South: Hautai Iceland
• In the West: Puotewheke, Tu Araiawa Iceland, Iceland Rahuinui, Hapuka Iceland, Iceland Cone