Kermadec Islands

Kermadec Islands (kərmăd`ĕk), almost uninhabited, active volcanic group (c.13 sq mi/34 sq km), South Pacific, 450 mi (720 km) NE of New Zealand, of which they are a dependency. Raoul, or Sunday, Island, the largest, is mountainous, with three main craters. The group, now a nature reserve, was annexed to New Zealand in 1887. The islands are adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga Trench.

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Kermadec Islands

Volcanic island group, South Pacific Ocean. Located northeast of Auckland, N.Z., it includes Raoul, Macauley, and Curtis islands and l'Esperance Rock, and it has a total land area of 13 sq mi (34 sq km). Explored in the late 18th century by the British and the French, the islands were annexed to New Zealand in 1887. A meteorological communications station was built on Raoul, the largest island, in 1937, but permanent settlement is discouraged.

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Kermadec Islands 

a group of four islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The islands belong to New Zealand and their area totals 33 sq km. Of volcanic origin, they have a tropical climate, with moderately warm and humid weather. Raoul, or Sunday, Island is the largest, with an area of 29 sq km, and the highest, with an elevation reaching 525 m; it is covered with tropical forests and grassy vegetation. There is a meteorological station. The islands were named in 1793 in honor of J. M. Huon de Kermadec, a member of the French expedition of Antoine de Bruni, Chevalier d’Entrecasteaux.