Talk:Kapiti Island

Suggestions moved from article
Ecosystems. Native species. List of species unique to the island (or New Zealand). List of other species. Continental speciation. Interactions. Human inhabitants (or lack thereof). This could be a very good article.

Geography and geology
At present, the lead has some content about geography and geology, but there is no section for this in the body. A new section is needed to cover these aspects (with some expansion over the content in the lead), so that the lead follows the body. Marshelec (talk) 07:49, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Waiorua Bay
Waiorua bay on the northern side of Kapiti Island is worth expanded coverage because of its history. It was the site of a battle in 1824 between between Ngati Toa and a grouping of Ngati Kahungunu, Muaupoko, Ngati Apa, Rangitaane and Whanganui tribes. It is also notable because there is around 13 ha in Maori ownership, and it is the current base of a Maori-owned tourism and guest accommodation venture, where visitors can stay overnight..Marshelec (talk) 08:03, 15 September 2023 (UTC)


 * @Marshelec Very interesting, will have a look into it. — Panamitsu (talk) Please ping on reply 13:01, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * There is substantial coverage of the Battle of Waiorua in this evidence submitted to the Waitangi Tribunal in relation to a claim. It would be best to find some independent historian's work rather than cite this, but the account in this evidence is still interesting, and gives insight into the complex history. Marshelec (talk) 06:17, 17 September 2023 (UTC)

Additional reference sources
I have obtained copies of the following from the Wellington City libraries:

These will take some time for me to work through, but will hopefully provide useful content for expanding the article. The book by Maclean is listed as Further reading at present, but it has such a wealth of content, I am sure that it will be appropriate to cite it in expanding content, particularly about the history of the island (up to 1999). Marshelec (talk) 23:48, 28 September 2023 (UTC)


 * Update: I have been distracted by other things and not made much progress unfortunately. However, I have found that the 1907 report "Report on a botanical survey of Kapiti Island" by Leonard Cockayne is available in digitised form in Papers Past here: . This is handy because the copy in the city library is "reference only", meaning I can only look at it at a Branch, not borrow it. The DSIR (25) publication "Geology of Kapiti Island, Central New Zealand" is also "reference only". Physical copies are available for purchase from the GNS store: . I have not been able to find a digitised copy online, but I will plan on adding content and citing these two works as a start. The work by Chris Maclean is a large book and full of detail. I will leave this for another round. The book "Kapiti Bird Sanctuary: A Natural History of the Island" contains useful sections about the history of the island. It is "reference only", but I will return to it at a later date. Marshelec (talk) 23:24, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

Topographic map of Kapiti Island
@Vallee, thanks for adding the topographic image to the Kapiti Island article. I have a few suggestions for consideration about this image: Marshelec (talk) 20:21, 11 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I assume here that you have created this from publicly available data, using a GIS package. Impressive work. If I am correct, I recommend that in the information you provide when you upload an image like this into Commons, you make a brief statement along these lines. The benefit is that other editors who watch or patrol this page will not need to be concerned that the image might be a copyright violation (ie having been taken from somewhere else without acknowledgement or licence)
 * Please don't mark any edit like this as Minor. There are strict limits for what can be marked as "minor". See WP:MINOR for clarification.
 * In terms of the image itself, I suggest reviewing the use of the shadow effect. I am unsure that it adds anything worthwhile, and is arguably a distraction.
 * Following Wikipedia conventions as set out in WP:COMMONNAME, the primary title of the image (if included in the image at all) should be the article title (Kapiti Island), with the te reo name shown as secondary or alternative.
 * Please review the use of the colour grading against contour level (height). The reason is that the colours currently shown give an immediate impression that the top of the island is brown/bare rock/soil, when this is definitely not the case. Looking at NZ Topomaps for a comparison, my personal impression is that a plain green background (for most of the island other than the very steep western slopes) is clearer and avoids giving the impression of bare ground at higher contour levels. If you decide to retain a colour-grading against contour level, then I recommend adding a vertically oriented colour-graded legend into the image, so that it is clearer for viewers that the colour represents height, not vegetation cover.


 * Many thanks from a noob for your comments. I made some changes, and I uppoladed a revised version. Vallee (talk) 06:46, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
 * @Vallee Wow, that's really great. Many thanks :). One further small suggestion is that, if possible, you identify the highest point on the island, named Tūteremoana, which is 521 metres. I suggest this because it is mentioned in the text of the article (with a citation).Marshelec (talk) 06:56, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
 * done, now my real life work starts ;-)
 * Any other island you want to have mapped? Vallee (talk) 07:24, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
 * @Vallee Thanks for all your work :). That is a generous offer. How about trying this one: Matiu / Somes Island. This is a "Good Article" that I have contributed to (and I visit the island fairly regularly). A topographic map would be a good addition to that article.Marshelec (talk) 07:45, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I'll do that if it's covered by publicly available LiDAR data.
 * Vallee (talk) 07:48, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
 * do you have a more detailed map than the NZ Topo Map to add some meaningful labels ? Vallee (talk) 09:45, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

There is a typo on map. Walorua Bay should be Waiorua Bay. Nurg (talk) 09:05, 12 January 2024 (UTC)


 * will correct ASAP Vallee (talk) 09:45, 12 January 2024 (UTC)