 Poikeke Island seen from the Coromandel Peninsula, to the left of Motueka Island (Pigeon Island) | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Coromandel Peninsula |
| Coordinates | 36°29′28″S175°28′30″E / 36.4912°S 175.47492°E |
| Adjacent to | Pacific Ocean |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
Poikeke Island is an island off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand.
The island is located approximately 900 metres north-east of Cathedral Cove, to the east of Mercury Bay. It is tidally linked to Motueka Island (Pigeon Island), a larger island located to the east. [1] Poikeke and Motueka islands are remnants of an eroded Miocene era lava dome, composed of flow-banded rhyolite. [1]
The island is primarily forested by native New Zealand broadleaf forest. The island's plateau is dominated by tawāpou, with abundant houpara also seen here. [1] The sooty shearwater is known to nest on the island. [1]
The island is historically significant to Ngāti Hei, who are the mana whenua iwi for Poikeke Island. [1] During pre-European history, the island was occupied as a fortified pā, and the top of the island may have been levelled during this time. [1] Captain James Cook landed on the island on 15 November 1769, when it was still actively being used as a pā. [1]
The origin of the name Poikeke Island is unknown. [2]