Portland Island (New Zealand)
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This article is about the New Zealand island. For the peninsula in southern England, see Isle of Portland. For the island in Canada, see Portland Island (British Columbia). For the fictional island, see Grand Theft Auto § Liberty_City.
Portland Island, also called Waikawa,[1][2][3] is a small island off the southern tip of the Māhia Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand. It is used for sheep farming.
Quick Facts Native name: Waikawa, Geography ...
Native name: Waikawa | |
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Geography | |
Location | Hawke's Bay Region |
Coordinates | 39°17′S 177°52′E |
Area | 1.4–3.0 km2 (0.54–1.16 sq mi) |
Length | 3.26 km (2.026 mi) |
Width | 0.65 - 0.98 km (-0.205 mi) |
Highest elevation | 106 m (348 ft) |
Administration | |
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The area of the island fluctuates rapidly between high and low tides due to a shelf of rocks surrounding the east, north and west coast of the island. During low tide the area of the island can grow up to 3 km2, while during high tide it shrinks down to only 1.4 km2. This makes access by boat to the island rather difficult, despite it being only a kilometer offshore.