L'Esperance Rock explained

L'Esperance Rock
Coordinates:	-31.4333°N -232°W
Archipelago:	Kermadec Islands
Area Ha:	4.8
Area:	4.8ha -->
Elevation M:	70
Population:	0
Country:	New Zealand

L'Esperance Rock, formerly known as French Rock and Brind Rock,^[1] (named after William Brind) is the southernmost islet in the Kermadec Islands, to the north of New Zealand. It is 80km (50miles) south of Curtis Island and 600km (400miles) northeast of East Cape on New Zealand's North Island. The smaller L'Havre Rock lies 80NaN0 to the north-west of L'Esperance; it is a reef that barely reaches the surface. L'Esperance Rock is 2500NaN0 in diameter with an area of 4.8ha. It rises to a height of 700NaN0.

Important Bird Area

The island forms part of the Kermadec Islands Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because it is an important site for nesting seabirds.^[2] It is the site of a substantial breeding colony of grey noddies. Masked boobies have also been recorded breeding there.^[3]

Flora

As well as other plants, there is an endemic conifer on the rock, Senecio esperensis.^[4]

See also

• 2012 Kermadec Islands eruption and pumice raft
• New Zealand outlying islands
• List of islands of New Zealand
• List of islands
• Desert island

References

• Book: Status of Kermadec red-crowned parakeets and the likely effects of a proposed kiore eradication programme. Macauley Island expedition July 2002. Greene, T.C. . Scofield, R.P. . Dilks, P.J. . DOC Science Internal Series 179. July 2004. Department of Conservation, New Zealand. Wellington. 0-478-22579-2.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Brind, William Darby. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. Taonga. www.teara.govt.nz.
2. BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kermadec Islands. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-03.
3. Greene et al. (2004).
4. PJ de Lange, CS Liew, JR Rolfe & PB Pelser . Senecio esperensis (Asteraceae: Senecioneae)—a new combination for the L'Esperance Rock groundsel, Kermadec Islands . New Zealand Journal of Botany . 2015 . 53 . 3 . 131–138 . 10.1080/0028825X.2015.1039552. 83619753 . free .