 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere[1] |
| Coordinates | 41°17′38″S 173°09′18″E / 41.294°S 173.155°E |
| Area | 1.32 km2 (0.51 sq mi)[2] |
| Length | 3.7 km (2.3 mi) |
| Width | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) |
| Administration | |
| District | Tasman District |
| Ward | Richmond Ward |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 93 (2018)[3] |
| Pop. density | 70.5/km2 (182.6/sq mi) |
Best Island, previously Bests Island, is an island in the Waimea Inlet, an arm in the southernmost part of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere,[1] on the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island. The island runs northwest to southeast for 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi). It is connected to the South Island on the southwest and to Bell Island to the northeast by causeways. It is in the Richmond Ward of Tasman District.
The northeastern half of the island contains the Greenacres Golf Club.[4] The middle of the island contains farms.[2] The population is concentrated at the southwestern end. Legal access to properties is only from the sea, although private roads have been used for decades to give property-owners access. A plan for the district council to buy land for public road access failed in 2016.[5]
The island was originally called Bests (or Best's) Island after a local family.[6][7]
- ^ a b "Place name detail: Best Island". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Islands in the stream". Stuff. 16 June 2009.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
SA1 7022715was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Welcome to the Best Island Golf Course". Greenacres Golf Club. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ Sivignon, Cherie (18 August 2018). "Tasman District Council steps back from plan to buy land on Best Island for legal road". Stuff.
- ^ "Place name detail: Best's Island". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "The Recent Floods – The Waimea". The Colonist. 9 October 1886.