Location of Motutapu island (marked in red).

Motutapu Island (or simply Motutapu) is located in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The Hauraki Gulf is a Coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. The Hauraki Gulf is a Coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand.

Its full name, rarely used, is Te Motutapu a Taikehu, "The sacred island of Taikehu", Taikehu having been a tohunga (tribal priest) of the Tainui iwi. the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga is an expert practitioner of any skill or art religious or otherwise Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori Iwi. In New Zealand society iwi (iwi form the largest everyday Social units in Māori populations. 'Motutapu', meaning "sacred" or "sanctuary" island, is a term used for various islands in a number of Polynesian cultures. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over ^[1]

Geography

The island is now linked by an artificial causeway to the much younger volcanic island cone of Rangitoto. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Rangitoto Island is a volcanic Island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. Prior to the emergence of the volcano, the island had been extensively occupied by Māori for over 100 years. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. The eruption, some 700 years ago, destroyed their settlements, but there is circumstantial evidence that some of the residents may have escaped the destruction, presumably by waka (canoe). In the Māori language and New Zealand English, waka (IPAwɔka are Māori watercraft usually Canoes ranging in size from small unornamented Of the many archaeological sites recorded, one shows human footprints preserved in solidified ash. These were protected from erosion by a layer of ash from the next eruption.

The volcanic ash provided a new layer of fertile soil, and settlements were soon re-established, although many of the archaeological sites found indicate that seabirds and shellfish were a more important part of the diet than anything provided by cultivated land. There are the remains of a number of important pa on the island. The word pā (pronounced pah refers to a Māori Village, generally one from the 19th century or earlier that was fortified for defence

During World War II, the island was an important coastal defence position, and military tunnels and bunkers can still be viewed by visitors to the island. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The causeway, which is actually quite broad, was built at that time to allow easier connection between Motutapu and Rangitoto.

Today the island lacks the forest cover of neighbouring Rangitoto Island and most areas are limited to grass and marsh. There are few large trees on the island.

References

External links

• New Zealand Geographic article on Rangitoto
• Motutapu Restoration Trust
• Motutapu Outdoor Education Camp Trust
• Department of Conservation - Motutapu Island Recreation Reserve