Kapiti Island 4.62

Kāpiti Island is a small but conspicuous island about 5km off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is 8km long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly 2km wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of 19.65km2.The island is separated from the North Island by the Rauoterangi channel. The highest point on the island is Tuteremoana, 521m. The seaward (west) side of the island is particularly rocky and has high cliffs, some hundreds of metres high, that drop straight into the sea. The cliffs are subject to very strong prevailing westerly winds and the scrubby vegetation that grows there is low and stunted by the harsh environmental conditions. A cross-section of the island would show almost a right-angled triangle, revealing its origins from lying on a fault line (part of the same ridge as the Tararua Range).The island's vegetation is dominated by scrub and forest of kohekohe, tawa, and kanuka. Most of the forest is regenerating after years of burn-offs and farming, but some areas of original bush with 30m trees remain.Its name has been used since 1989 by the Kāpiti Coast District Council, which includes towns such as Paekakariki, Raumati, Paraparaumu and Waikanae.