outlying island group of New Zealand, in the South Pacific Ocean, 415 mi (668 km) east of South Island. Comprising 13 granite islets with a total land area of 320 ac (130 ha), they are inhospitable and without human habitation. Discovered and named by Capt. William Bligh of the British ship “Bounty” in 1788, the group was once the home of large herds of fur seals. Decimated by hunters in the early 19th century, the seal population is now beginning to grow again. There is a large population of seabirds, especially penguins.