Chatham Island

Chatham Island is by far the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand. It is said to be "halfway between the equator and the pole, and right on the International Date Line", though the point (180°, 45°S) in fact lies ca. 173 miles WSW of the island's westernmost point. The island is called Rekohu ("misty skies") in Moriori, and Wharekauri in Maori.The island was named after the survey ship HMS Chatham which was the first European ship to locate the island in 1791. It covers an area of 920km2. Chatham Island lies 650km south-east of Cape Turnagain, the nearest point of mainland New Zealand to the island.GeographyThe geography of the roughly T-shaped island is dominated by three features: two bays and a lagoon. More than half of the west coast of Chatham is taken up by the deep indentation of Petre Bay. The island's main settlement of Waitangi is located in a small indentation in Petre Bay's southern coast. Other significant settlements are Kaingaroa on the northeast promontory, and Owenga on the south side of Hanson Bay.On the east coast is the even larger Hanson Bay, which stretches for the entire length of the island.