Motukaraka Island (Island of Karaka) is a uninhabited island off the coast of Beachlands in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

with historical significance and a rich history of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

occupation. The island is flat and approximately 15m above sea level with access from the mainland via a raised shellbank for approximately two hours either side of low tide. The rocks surrounding the island are a popular day trip and fishing destination, although access to the top of the island is difficult due to the steep cliffs around it. There have been numerous other places named "Motukaraka" throughout New Zealand, including in the Auckland suburb of Green Bay, and in the

Hokianga Harbour The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ...

. Most historical accounts differentiate this island as being 'near Howick'.

Geography

The island is composed of

Waitemata sandstone The Waitemata Group is an Early Miocene geologic group that is exposed in and around the Auckland Region of New Zealand, between the Whangarei Harbour in the North and the Raglan Harbour in the South. The Group is predominantly composed of deep ...

, which formed between one and two million years ago as a ection of a river valley. The flat top of the island is an uplifted terrace, which has undergone intertidal erosion.

History

Historian Percy Smith records that in the late 18th century Motukaraka Island was a heavily fortified pā of about 100 members of the tribe

Ngāti Pāoa Ngāti Pāoa is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) that has extensive links to the Hauraki and Waikato tribes of New Zealand. Its traditional lands stretch from the western side of the Hauraki Plains to Auckland. They also settled on Hauraki ...

. Around this time a party from Ngāti Rongo, seeking revenge for a previous attack by Ngāti Pāoa, stormed the island. They cut

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

spars to serve as scaling ladders and attacked the site at dawn. The ensuing massacre wiped out almost all inhabitants, including the Ngāti Pāoa chief Taeiwi. The island has been uninhabited since this time. ''

Clianthus puniceus ''Clianthus puniceus'', common name kaka beak (''Kōwhai Ngutu-kākā'' in Māori language, Māori), is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Clianthus'' of the legume family (biology), family Fabaceae, native plant, native to New Zealand' ...

'', a critically endangered species of plant was recorded as being present on the island in the late 19th century but all expeditions since this time have not discovered the species and it is no longer endemic to the island. Motukaraka Island was the first historic category scenic reserve in New Zealand, gazetted in March 1905. In the 1920s the island was used for various farming purposes, including growing karaka, breeding rabbits and farming potatoes, with a chute built to drop the bags of potatoes down unto waiting carts. Although the island was used for farming it was not inhabited or settled. In 1965 a fire broke out on the island and burned unchecked for three days. All plants except a few coastal

pohutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...

were destroyed in the fire. It has also been known variously as Flat Island, Motu Ika (Fish Island), and Reserve Island.

Conservation and recreational use

Many expeditions in the 1990s and 2000s have taken place to study the recolonized flora and fauna and remove pests. Pest eradication appears to have been successful but the loss of the mature plants and trees in the fire has facilitated the growth of weeds. At various times stairs have been present to allow easy access to the island but drainage issues and the harsh environment have required their removal. Despite this the island is a popular walk and fishing area.

References

{{Reflist, 50em, refs= {{cite journal , last1=Russell , authorlink=James Russell (ecologist), first1=James , title=Ecological Survey of Motukaraka (Flat Island), Beachlands, Auckland , journal=Journal of the Auckland Botanical Society , date=2006 , volume=61 , issue=1 , pages=57–61 , url=https://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~jrussell/files/papers/ABJ61(1)2006-57-61-Motukara.pdf , accessdate=9 December 2019 , ref=abj , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217154344/http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~jrussell/files/papers/ABJ61(1)2006-57-61-Motukara.pdf, archive-date=17 February 2013 {{cite book , last1=Monin , first1=Paul , title=Waitangi Tribunal for the claim Wai 406 , date=December 1996 , publisher=Waitangi Tribunal , page=20 , url=https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/WT/wt_DOC_93389030/Wai%20686%2C%20C005.pdf , accessdate=9 December 2019 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209051323/https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/WT/wt_DOC_93389030/Wai%20686,%20C005.pdf , archivedate=9 December 2019 {{cite web , last1=Beever , first1=Jessica , title=Mosses of Motukaraka (Flat Island) , url=http://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/bts_pdf/Auck_1992_47_1_18-19.pdf , accessdate=9 December 2019 {{cite web , last1=Cameron, first1=EK, title=Motukaraka Beachlands trip observations, url=http://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/bts_pdf/Auck_1992_47_1_17-18.pdf , accessdate=9 December 2019 {{cite web , title=Picking the places:the Commission 1904–06 , url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/ourpicturesqueheritageb.pdf , website=Dept of Conservation , publisher=NZ Government , accessdate=9 December 2019 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205193404/https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/ourpicturesqueheritageb.pdf , archivedate=5 February 2019 , page=34 {{cite web , title=Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961 , url=http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_39/rsnz_39_00_005200.html , website=National Library of NZ , accessdate=9 December 2019 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213111956/http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_39/rsnz_39_00_005200.html , archivedate=13 February 2019 {{cite web , title=Beachland History, url=http://www.pohutukawacoast.co.nz/2-uncategorised?start=16 , website=Pohutukawa Coast , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224055534/http://www.pohutukawacoast.co.nz/2-uncategorised?start=16 , archivedate=24 February 2018 {{cite web , title=Paparoa, Owairoa or Howick name? , url=https://www.times.co.nz/howick-170-years/paparoa-owairoa-or-howick-name/ , website=Howick and Pakuranga Times , accessdate=9 December 2019 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501114502/http://www.times.co.nz/howick-170-years/paparoa-owairoa-or-howick-name/ , archivedate=1 May 2018 {{cite web , last1=Chamerlin , first1=Stephanie , title=Motukaraka: An island treasure , url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10885838 , website=NZ Herald , accessdate=9 December 2019 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107212857/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10885838 , archivedate=7 January 2014 {{cite web , title=North Island: Auckland, 1920 , url=https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/?p=r&collection=p20062coll12&id=224 , website=Kura , accessdate=9 December 2019 Islands of the Auckland Region Islands of the Hauraki Gulf Uninhabited islands of New Zealand