Raratoka Island (also known as Centre Island) is a small island of in

Foveaux Strait Foveaux Strait ( ; ) is a strait that separates Stewart Island from the South Island of New Zealand. The width of the strait ranges from about , and the depth varies between . The strait was first charted by an American Seal hunting, sealer, O ...

off the coast of

Stewart Island / Rakiura Stewart Island (, 'Aurora, glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island wit ...

, New Zealand. It is located north of Stewart island's northernmost point, Black Rock Point, and southwest of the Southland town of Riverton on the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

mainland. Several small reefs surround the island, notably Escape Reefs, to the east, and Hapuka Rock, to the southwest.''Reed New Zealand Atlas''. 2004. Auckland: Reed Books. Map 108 The island was named by

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

after the Island of

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

, and is the Southern Māori form of the same word, meaning "beneath the south" or "south wind". Raratoka Island is used as an island sanctuary, with the

Department of Conservation Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

releasing 15 captive-bred birds in 2006 after eradicating the population of

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), or , is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. Contrary to its vernacular name, the Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asi ...

s. The island contains a lighthouse and a small airstrip.

References

Islands of the Southland Region Foveaux Strait {{Southland-geo-stub