page_title: Auckland Islands
hierarchical_section_title: Auckland Islands
caption_attribution_description: STS089-743-5 Auckland Islands, New Zealand January 1998. The barren, mountainous landscape of the Auckland Islands can be seen in this spectacular west-looking view. The uninhabited Auckland Islands are 290 miles (461 km) south of South Island, New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. The total area of the islands is 234 square miles (377 square km). Auckland Island is the largest of the group and is 27 miles (44 km) long and 15 miles (24 km) wide. Mountains on the island rise up to over 2000 feet (610 meters) above sea level. The islands have several good harbors especially the one at Port Ross, which is situated at the northern tip of the island and is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in the world. The government of New Zealand maintains a depot on Auckland Island with supplies for shipwrecked sailors. During the STS-89 mission (1/29/98) there was a report of about 700 rare New Zealand seal lion pups found dead on the beaches of Dundas Island in the Auckland Island group. As of this this writing, results of autopsies conducted by biologists of the New Zealand Department of Conservation are not yet known. The animals had not been caught in nets or injured by trawlers; possible causes of death include a virus, bacteria, or a toxic algae bloom.
context_page_description: The Auckland Islands are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying 465 kilometres south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying 510 km², is surrounded by smaller Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island, and Green Island, with a combined area of 626 km². The islands have no permanent human inhabitants.
  The islands are listed with the New Zealand Outlying Islands. The islands are an immediate part of New Zealand, but not part of any region or district, but instead Area Outside Territorial Authority, like all the other outlying islands except the Solander Islands.
  Ecologically, the Auckland Islands form part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion. Along with other New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands, they were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
context_section_description: The Auckland Islands (Māori: Motu Maha or Maungahuka) are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying 465 kilometres (290 mi) south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying 510 km² (200 sq mi), is surrounded by smaller Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island, and Green Island, with a combined area of 626 km² (240 sq mi). The islands have no permanent human inhabitants.
  The islands are listed with the New Zealand Outlying Islands. The islands are an immediate part of New Zealand, but not part of any region or district, but instead Area Outside Territorial Authority, like all the other outlying islands except the Solander Islands.
  Ecologically, the Auckland Islands form part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion. Along with other New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands, they were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
caption: The Auckland Islands as seen by STS-89 in 1998, with the northwest towards the top of the image
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