Ruapuke Island

The Ruapuke Island is one of the southernmost islands in the main chain of islands of New Zealand. The small island located 15 km south of Bluff on the South Island and 32 kilometers northeast of Stewart Iceland at the east end of Foveaux Strait. The island measures 13 × 6 km and is 16 km ². It is private property and is partly used for sheep farming.

Ruapuke was formerly the home of 200 Māori, today it is uninhabited. Beginning of the 19th century here lived the most numerous Māori population of southern New Zealand. They were among the Ngai Tahu chief among Tuhawaiki ( " Bloody Jack ").

A mission station was established in May 1844 by two German Reformed missionaries, including Johann Friedrich Heinrich Wohlers, on Ruapuke. The missionaries taught the Māori agriculture and sheep farming, so that later, even considerable surpluses could be sold on the main islands.

The center of the island is flat and reaches a height of 41 m. Some surveys are located to the north, south and west ends of the island. North Head, the north end of the island, is a projecting cliff that rises 62 m high. Near the western end of the island reached its maximum height 64 m.

The island is partly overgrown with stunted trees some with bushes, other parts are used for sheep grazing.

The island was named by James Cook on March 6, 1770 Bench Iceland, but was later given back its Māori name. Bench Iceland is today an island further south-west directly in front of Stewart Iceland.