Oaia Island is an island on the west coast of the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...

, New Zealand, near Muriwai. Home to an Australasian gannet colony, the island was traditionally used as a seasonal food resource for

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M ...

iwi, including Te Kawerau ā Maki. Over the 21st century, the gannet population grew significantly, which had a negative impact on the island's flora, and led to gannets colonising areas of the Muriwai mainland. The island is a known location where the rare

korowai gecko The korowai gecko (''Woodworthia korowai''), also known as the Muriwai gecko, is a gecko found on the west coast of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. First discovered on Oaia Island in 1954, the species was recognised as distinct from ''Wood ...

has been found.

Geography

Oaia Island is located off the west coast of the

near Muriwai, approximately due west of Maukatia Bay and Collins Bay. The island is adjacent to Muriwai Regional Park. It is likely an early Miocene eroded remnant of pillow lava flow from the

Waitākere volcano Waitākere is a locality name in West Auckland, New Zealand. It most commonly refers to: *Waitākere, Auckland, a rural town north-west of Auckland *Waitakere City, a former territorial authority which existed from 1989 to 2010 *Waitākere Ranges, ...

Biodiversity

The island is home to an Australasian gannet colony. The population increased by more than five times between 1940 and 1970 to a total of 892 breeding pairs, which had a negative effect on vascular plant life on the island. As the colony expanded, gannets began to settle at the Muriwai gannet colony to the east. The island has been classified as identified as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

, as a part of the Muriwai and North Auckland Seabird Flyway areas. Flora on the island includes ''

Disphyma australe ''Disphyma australe'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It is a prostrate, succulent annual shrub or short-lived perennial plant with stems up to long, leaves that are three-sided in cross-se ...

'' (New Zealand ice plant), ''

Chenopodium allanii ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifica ...

'' and ''

Coprosma repens ''Coprosma repens'' is a species of flowering shrub or small tree of the genus ''Coprosma'', in the family Rubiaceae, native to New Zealand. Common names include taupata, tree bedstraw, mirror bush, looking-glass bush, New Zealand laurel and sh ...

'' (taupata), with historic records indicating '' Lepidium oleraceum'' previously was found on the island. Seashore earwigs have been identified on Oaia Island, and New Zealand fur seals are known to visit the island. The island is a habitat for the rare

, which was first identified as living on the island in 1954; then thought to be a different species of gecko, ''

Woodworthia maculata ''Woodworthia maculata'', also known as the New Zealand common gecko or Raukawa gecko, is a species in the family Diplodactylidae. The specific name ''maculata'' means "speckled".''New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles'', Brian Gill and Tony Whitaker, D ...

''.

History

The traditional

name for the island is ("Brilliant White Island"), a reference to

gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

colouring the island white. The island was traditionally visited by Te Kawerau ā Maki, as a place where food resources could be collected in calm weather, including birds, bird eggs, and ( New Zealand fur seals). In 1902, politician and later Mayor of Auckland City,

Edwin Mitchelson Sir Edwin Mitchelson (7 April 1846 – 11 April 1934) was a New Zealand politician and timber merchant. Member of Parliament Mitchelson was born in Auckland in a cottage on Queen Street, Auckland, Queen Street in the mid 1840s. He devel ...

, constructed a wooden mansion at Muriwai which he named Oaia, after the island. Oaia Island is the subject of Colin McCahon's acrylic landscape ''Moby Dick Is Sighted Off Muriwai Beach'' (1972), which was featured in a New Zealand Post stamp campaign in 1997.

References

{{Rodney Local Board Area Kumeū Subdivision Islands of the Auckland Region Islands of the Tasman Sea Rodney Local Board Area Uninhabited islands of New Zealand