Kawau Island
Kawau Iceland is an island in the Hauraki Gulf near the northeast coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 50 km north of Auckland and 2 km off the coast of the North Auckland Peninsula and protects the Kawau Bay in the northeast of Warkworth. The island is 8 km long, 5 km wide and has an area of 2.05 km ². It is geologically by the Bon Accord Harbour, a sunken valley, nearly split in two. Two smaller such valleys, North Cove and South Cove intersect north and south of the west side of the island a. From the mainland of northern Tawharanui Peninsula, the island is 1475 meters.
The island has a small number of permanent residents and numerous rental properties and is a popular destination for boat trips in the Hauraki Gulf. The island is mostly wooded and private property.
Kawau to have been the basis for Māori in the early 18th century, the surrounding areas invaded by sea. It served also as a basis for the Māori fishing.
In the early years, where she belonged Europeans, manganese and copper were mined until the island in 1862 by Sir George Grey then governor of New Zealand was purchased as a private retreat. He built the house in 1845, built the mine manager of to the building known as the " Mansion House ". It now belongs to the " Kawau Iceland Historic Reserve " and is administered by the Department of Conservation. He walked the surrounding land with introduced plants and animals into a botanical and zoological garden. These 10 % of the island are public property, including the old copper mine, which is believed that it was the first mining degradation of metallic materials in New Zealand in 1844.
On the island live kiwis and two-thirds of the total population of North Island Weka. On the island five types kangaroos were settled, including the Parma Wallaby, which was rediscovered here in 1965 after holding it for decades already extinct. Four of the species were able to develop viable populations and wreak considerable damage to the native vegetation, which in turn affects the habitat of the kiwi and other native animals. The kangaroos destroy the seedlings, thus preventing the emergence of a new generation of native trees. The usual undergrowth is absent due to browsing damage by kangaroos and partially comes to light the earth. Possums, which were also introduced by Grey destroy many mature native trees. As a result, lost much of biodiversity, the number of birds sank because loss of both food resources as well as habitat. Even the surrounding maritime maritime space has been greatly affected by the soil washed away from the bare ground.