Can you stay on Motutapu Island?

Motutapu Island Stay the Night For a true overnight getaway, set up camp at Motutapu Island’s idyllic Home Bay. Though direct sailings to Home Bay are limited, the DOC campsite is also accessible by walking from Rangitoto Island, which has multiple ferry services daily.

What is special about motutapu Island?

With 178 million years of history, Motutapu is considered one of the earliest places that was inhabited. It has more than 300 Maori pa, kainga (villages), kumara storage pits, former gardens and archeological sites, as well as evidence that settlers witnessed Rangitoto Island erupting 600 years ago.

How did the military use motutapu Island?

Gun Emplacements Strategically located at the entrance to the Hauraki Gulf, Motutapu was the home of New Zealand’s most important gun battery during World War II. Advanced for its time, the battery had radar overlooking underwater minefields stretching from Motutapu to the island of Tiritiri Matangi.

What does the Motutapu Restoration Trust do on the island?

The Motutapu Restoration Trust’s work provides opportunities for people of all ages to engage in and be actively involved in conservation and to better understand and appreciate heritage values through the restoration of Motutapu. The Motutapu project started in 1993 in consultation with other interested groups.

Are dogs allowed on motutapu?

Dogs are not allowed.

Is motutapu island a volcano?

Auckland’s Ancient Island Sanctuary The island called Motutapu is very old and sits majestically in the centre of Auckland’s inner gulf islands. The newest gulf island, the now dormant volcano, Rangitoto, nudges up against it.

Are dogs allowed on Motutapu Island?

However, reports of dogs being brought onto protected islands like Rangitoto/Peretū and Motutapu have raised concerns for the safety of the native species that live there. Dogs are banned from all island reserves in the Hauraki Gulf, including beaches and areas below the high-tide mark.

How did motutapu island get its name?

According to tradition, Motutapu was named after a place in the Polynesian homeland of the New Zealand Maori. The island is said to have been settled by the Maori ancestor Taikehu, who arrived on the Tainui canoe. It later became known by his descendants as Te Motu tapu a Taikehu, or `the sacred island of Taikehu’.

Is Motutapu pest free?

Motutapu is one of 47 pest free islands in the Hauraki Gulf.

Why is there a rahui on Motutapu?

Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki have announced today a rāhui placed on Motutapu since the 30 May 2021 has been lifted. The rāhui was in place to strengthen efforts to capture stoats detected on the island since May 2020.

When did Māori arrive in NZ?

Māori settlement The first people to arrive in New Zealand were ancestors of the Māori. The first settlers probably arrived from Polynesia between 1200 and 1300 AD. They discovered New Zealand as they explored the Pacific, navigating by the ocean currents, winds and stars.