Solander Islands
The Solander Islands / Hautere are three uninhabited volcanic islets toward the western end of the Foveaux Strait just beyond New Zealand's South Island. The Māori name Hautere translates into English as "flying wind". The islands lie 38 km (24 mi) south of Prices Point, near where Lake Hakapoua drains through Big River to the ocean due west of Te Waewae Bay, and 64 km (40 mi) northwest of the Putatara (Rugged) Point in the northwest of Stewart Island / Rakiura, or 56 km (35 mi) from Codfish Island / Whenua Hou. The islands measure 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi). Administratively, the islands form part of Southland District, making them the only uninhabited outlying island group of New Zealand to be part of a local authority.
Māori: Hautere | |
|---|---|
Map of the Solander Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Southland District |
| Coordinates | 46°34′S 166°53′E |
| Area | 120 ha (300 acres) |
| Length | 1.6 km (0.99 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 330 m (1080 ft) |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
| Additional information | |
| Age Pleistocene Arc volcano | |
The islands are the tip of a larger submerged volcano, roughly equivalent in size to Mount Taranaki. It was formerly believed that the volcano last erupted roughly 2 million years ago, but in 2008 radiometric dating of rock samples from the main island found that it was between 150,000 and 400,000 years old. In 2013 it was discovered that Little Solander Island had been active even more recently at between 20 and 50,000 years ago.