Manukapua Island, also known as Sand Island or Big Sand Island,[2] is an island located in the Kaipara Harbour in the Auckland Region, New Zealand, near Tāpora on the Okahukura Peninsula.
Native name: Manukapua | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aerial view of Manukapua Island | |
 | |
| Etymology | Cloud of Birds |
| Geography | |
| Location | Auckland |
| Coordinates | 36°22′59″S 174°14′36″E / 36.3831°S 174.2432°E |
| Adjacent to | Kaipara Harbour |
| Area | 2,500 m2 (27,000 sq ft)[1] |
| Length | 4,000 m (13000 ft) |
| Width | 1,000 m (3000 ft) |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
| Region | Auckland Region |
| Local government area | Rodney |
| Subdivision | Wellsford Subdivision |
Geography
editManukapua Island is located in the central Kaipara Harbour, at the point where the Kaipara Entrance meets the Otamatea Channel and the Tauhoa Channel.[3] The area is dominated by sand dunes and wetlands.[4] The island is accessible by foot.[2]
Biodiversity
edit
Much of the island is located within the Manukapua Government Purpose (Wildlife Management) Reserve, previously known as the Tapora Government Purpose (Wildlife Management) Reserve,[5] and the island is a part of the Manukapua Island and Okahukura Sequence biodiversity focus area,[4] It is an important nesting area for the New Zealand dotterel and New Zealand fairy tern, and is a roosting area for migratory birds.[4]
History
editNgāti Whātua traditions tell of the Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi migratory waka arriving at the Kaipara Harbour. Some of the crew members, including Rongomai, Mawete and Po, settled at Tāporapora, with the descendants of Toi, who already lived in the area.[6] Different sections of the island (then a peninsula) were named Tāporapora, a name which references a place in the homeland of the Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi waka, and Manukapua, a name which means "Cloud of Birds".[7] Tāporapora was a fertile sandy land that gradually eroded west of the Okahukura Peninsula, of which Manukapua Island is a remnant.[8][9] The island is seen as the birthplace of Ngāti Whātua, and has spiritual importance to the hapū Te Uri-o-Hau.[10]
Since the 14th century, the island has significantly reduced in size due to weather events such as tsunami, with oral traditions describing the island as extending far into the Kaipara Harbour mouth.[10]
In 2013, a fire destroyed all vegetation on the island.[10] In 2019, the Department of Conservation funded a widescale restoration project on the island, where 5 ha (12 acres) of gorse and pampas that had grown since the fire was cleared, and replaced by 13,000 native trees.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Manukapua Island, Auckland". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Sand Island". Visit Wellsford. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Place name detail: Manukapua Island". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Manukapua Island and Okahukura Sequence". Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Place name detail: Manukapua Government Purpose (Wildlife Management) Reserve". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Tangata Whenua (PDF) (Report). Waitakere City Council. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Te Uri o Hau; Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand (13 December 2000). Deed of Settlement to Settle Te Uri o Hau Historical Claims: Schedules (PDF) (Report). New Zealand Government. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Hamilton, Scott (21 July 2022). "The Lost Islands". North & South. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ King, Darren NT; Goff, James (June 2006). Māori Environmental Knowledge in Natural Hazards Management and Mitigation (PDF) (Report). NIWA. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Tapora Māori take charge of Manukapua restoration". Local Matters. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2024.