Mahurangi Island

Mahurangi Island
Native name:
Motu Mahurangi
Mahurangi Island seen from Waiwera Beach
Map
Geography
LocationAuckland
Coordinates36°32′38″S 174°43′05″E / 36.544°S 174.718°E / -36.544; 174.718
Adjacent toHauraki Gulf
Highest elevation49 m (161 ft)
Administration
New Zealand

Mahurangi Island, is an island at the mouth of the Waiwera River, in the Auckland Region, New Zealand.

Description

Mahurangi Island is a 49-metre tall island located in the Hauraki Gulf at the mouth of the Waiwera River.[1]

History

The island was originally known by the name Motu Mahurangi, and is a place of importance to Ngāti Manuhiri.[2] The island was named by the crew of the Tainui migratory canoe, after an elderly woman who lived in the homeland of the Tainui people, remaining there. Mahurangi was a revered figure, who was able to ensure that the voyage to Aotearoa was possible through her skill. Eventually, the name Mahurangi began to be applied to the wider area to the north, between Matakana and Waiwera.[3]

Tāmaki Māori people constructed a defensive pā on the island, likely in the 1600s.[3] Today, the island forms a part of the Wenderholm Regional Park.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Mahurangi Island". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ Ngāti Manuhiri; The Crown (21 May 2011). Deed of Settlement: Documents (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Wenderholm Regional Park: Our History" (PDF). Auckland Council. 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2023.