Rekohu: The Chatham
Islands
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Rekohu The Chatham Islands
Rekohu The Chatham Islands. A map of
Rekohu commonly known as the Chatham Islands
Rekohu the Chatham Islands
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Rekohu
(the
Chatham Islands) is about 870 kms away to the East of New
Zealand, in what is known as the "Roaring Forties". Its a
location, not a time i history!
Although the
Chatham Islands are have been a part of New Zealand since 1842, they are
actually in a different time zone. Due to a detour in the
official timeline, the Chatham Islands are nearly 45 minutes ahead of
mainland New Zealand.
Two islands
are permanently inhabited; Rekohu, the main island has a
population of about 640 people and Rangiauria (Pitt Island),
which has a population of 40 people.
The main
industries on the Chatham Islands are fishing, farming and tourism. |
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Rekohu the Chatham Islands
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New Zealand Maori
refer to the Chatham Islands as Wharekauri, but this name was given by mistake.
Around 1835 the name Wharekauri was used to describe a particular house
at the northern end of Rekohu. A Maori returning to New Zealand, who
had stayed at Wharekauri used the term to describe where he had been and
the name stuck with all Maori. Rekohu is the appropriate name and
Rangiaotea is the correct name for Pitt Island.
The other out laying
islands also have their respective Moriori and Maori names. Most
available maps and charts use European and Maori names. |
Rekohu the Chatham Islands
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The
Chatham Islands were “re-discovered” by accident, on the 27th
of November, 1791 by Lieutenant Broughton on board the HMS
Chatham. He landed and claimed the islands for the King of
England despite the fact that there were already a people living
there.
There
was immediate contact with the “Indian” inhabitants,
which resulted in one man; Tamakaroro, being shot. Broughton
wrote that the natives were quite ferocious in their appearance.
The crew
of the brig, Chatham, could not know it, but these “Indians”
had lived here undisturbed by any other people for hundreds of
years.
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Broughton and the crew landed
only on the main Island and never knew that many of the other islands
(10 in total) existed.
In 1807 the remainder of the
group of islands were “discovered” by the Royal Navy vessel “Cornwallis”
and for a time the southern islands of Pitt, South East, Mangere, The
Pyramid, The Castle and Passage rock were known as the Cornwallis
group.,
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Waitangi - Rekohu - Chatham Islands
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