Moturemu Island is an island located in the Kaipara Harbour in the Auckland Region, New Zealand, southwest of Tauhoa and southeast of the Okahukura Peninsula. The island has a long history of occupation by Tāmaki Māori, and is an important site for Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, who since 2013 have owned the island.
Native name: Moturemu | |
|---|---|
_aerial_view_(cropped_to_Moturemu_Island).jpg) Aerial view of Moturemu Island in 1980 | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Auckland |
| Coordinates | 36°25′20″S 174°23′36″E / 36.42222°S 174.39333°E |
| Adjacent to | Kaipara Harbour |
| Area | 54,000 m2 (580,000 sq ft)[1] |
| Length | 590 m (1940 ft) |
| Width | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 46 m (151 ft) |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
| Region | Auckland |
| Local government area | Rodney |
| Subdivision | Kumeū Subdivision |
Geography
editMoturemu Island is located in the eastern Kaipara Harbour, west of the mouth of the Hōteo River.[2] It reaches a height of 46 m (151 ft) above sea level.[2] The Tauhoa River, a tidal channel of the harbour, flows to the northwest of the island, between Moturemu Island and the Okahukura Peninsula. The island is formed from Waitemata Sandstone.[3]
Biodiversity
editThe island is primarily forested by pōhutukawa and karaka trees.[3] Moturemu Island is the only known location where wild Clianthus puniceus (kōwhai ngutukākā or kakabeak) plants are known to grow.[4]
History
editNgā Iwi (an early Tāmaki Māori group) constructed pā on Moturemu Island. The island was attacked by Kāwharu during Te Raupatu Tīhore (the stripping conquest).[5] The island is an important site for Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, due to its extensive history of occupation.[3]
In 1880, the island was sold to surveyor and ethnologist Stephenson Percy Smith, who used Moturemu island as a place for camping. In 1886, he gifted the island as wedding present for his daughter-in-law, Rachel Smith.[6] Large fires in the early 20th century replaced much of the vegetation with mānuka scrub, and the island became a nesting site for introduced common starlings. By the 1950s, pōhutukawa trees had begun to emerge through the mānuka scrub.[3]
In 1951, Rachel Smith gifted the island to the New Zealand Government,[6] who created the Moturemu Island Scenic Reserve in 1978.[7] In 2013 as a part of a Waitangi Tribunal settlement, the island was returned to Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Moturemu, Auckland". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Place name detail: Moturemu Island". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Cameron, E. K.; Beard, C. M. (1990). "Moturemu Island Kaipara Harbour" (PDF). Auckland Botanical Society Journal. 45 (1). Auckland Botanical Society: 5–8.
- ^ Wild kakabeak close to extinction, New Zealand Biodiversity, 23 December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ^ Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei (2021). "From Maunganui to Tāmaki". Te Ara. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b The Kaipara Report (PDF) (Report). Waitangi Tribunal. 2006. ISBN 1-86956-281-X. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Place name detail: Moturemu Island Scenic Reserve". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Oliver, Shona (March 2020). 23 Brigham Creek Road and 44 Spedding Road, Whenuapai Oyster Capital (PDF) (Report). Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara. Retrieved 24 June 2024.