Motu Matakohe
Encyclopedia
Onerahi
Onerahi is a seaside suburb of Whangarei, New Zealand's northern most city. It is the city's only seaside suburb .It is located 9 km south-east of the centre of Whangarei, and follows the Whangarei harbour coastline until it meets the Pacific Ocean....
, a seaside suburb of the city of Whangarei
Whangarei
Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...
, Northland, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Used for farming and industry for many years, the island is an example of ecological island restoration
Island restoration
The ecological restoration of islands, or island restoration, is the application of the principles of ecological restoration to islands and island groups. Islands, due to their isolation, are home to many of the world's endemic species, as well as important breeding grounds for seabirds and some...
by a volunteer community group.
History
The earliest known inhabitants of the island were Ngaitahuhu Māori who occupied it in the early 18th century. They were dispossessed and driven out of the Whangarei area in the mid 18th century by NgāpuhiNgapuhi
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...
Māori led by Te Ponaharakeke.
The first European house on the island was built in 1832, though later destroyed. In 1848 the island was leased from the Parawhau hapū
Hapu
A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...
by Robert Carruth and Mathew Whitelaw who established a limeworks there, using the local limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. In 1865 the island was purchased by Henry Walton from Te Tirarau and the Parawahau chiefs. The limeworks were extended and sheep were farmed. In 1881 the first batch of Portland cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
was produced, with the limeworks becoming a major local industry employing 270 people at its peak in the early 20th century. The island was later purchased by the Northland Harbour Board and used as pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
for several decades. In 1989 it was given to the Whangarei District
Whangarei District
The Whangarei District is located in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is the principal town and the district seat. Other towns include Hukerenui, Hikurangi, Titoki, Ruakaka and Waipu...
, following which the first conservation and rehabilitation work began.
Ecological restoration
The island is managed by the Friends of Matakohe-Limestone Island Society (FOMLI), which was incorporated in 1991. In 1996 David Wright was employed as the Resident Ranger to look after and maintain the island. In 1999 it was gazetteGazette
A gazette is a public journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.In English- and French-speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name Gazette since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers bear the name The Gazette.Gazette is a loanword from the...
d as a scenic reserve, with a floating dock
Floating dock
A floating dock is a platform or ramp supported by pontoons. It is usually joined to the shore with a ramp that rests upon the dock on rollers, to adjust for the vertical movement of the dock...
constructed for public access. Restoration work has involved massive plantings of native plants as well as the reintroduction
Reintroduction
Reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...
and translocation
Translocation (Wildlife conservation)
Translocation in wildlife conservation means capture, transport and release or introduction of species, habitats or other ecological material from one location to another...
of animals previously lost to the island and the surrounding region.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates introduced from the mainland include wetaWeta
Weta is the name given to about 70 insect species endemic to New Zealand. There are many similar species around the world, though most are in the southern hemisphere. The name comes from the Māori word 'wētā' and is the same in the plural...
, stick insect
Phasmatodea
The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects , walking sticks or stick-bugs , phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects...
s, and flax snail
Placostylus
Placostylus, or flax snails, are a genus of very large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Placostylidae.Placostylus is the type genus of the family Placostylidae....
s, the latter unsuccessfully so far. Adult weta have been found on the island well away from their release sites.
Reptiles
Various lizard species have either been reintroduced to the island, or are planned to be, some of which have shrinking distributions on the mainland. A pair of juvenile Forest GeckoForest gecko
The forest gecko, Hoplodactylus granulatus, is a species of gecko in the family Gekkonidae. Granulatus refers to the granular texture of the skin. It is endemic to New Zealand, found in all areas except the Far North, Marlborough, and Canterbury....
s were released in 2001, but have not been seen since. Shore Skink
Shore skink
The shore skink, Oligosoma smithii / Leiolopisma smithii, is a species of skink native to the north half of the North Island of New Zealand. The shore skink is always found near the shoreline and prefers open areas such as around driftwood at the high tide mark. It eats insects and probably...
s and Ornate Skink
Ornate skink
The ornate skink, Cyclodina ornata, is a rare species of skink endemic to New Zealand. This species was once widespread through much of the North Island and on many offshore islands in the Hauraki Gulf and north of the Coromandel Peninsula...
s have been introduced. The island is also suitable for Tuatara
Tuatara
The tuatara is a reptile endemic to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia. The two species of tuatara are the only surviving members of its order, which flourished around 200 million years ago. Their most recent common...
.
Kiwi
From 2001, North Island Brown KiwiNorth Island Brown Kiwi
The North Island Brown Kiwi, Apteryx mantelli, Apteryx australis or Apteryx bulleri before 2000 , is a species of kiwi that is widespread in the northern two-thirds of the North Island of New Zealand and, with about 35000 remaining, is the most common kiwi.-Taxonomy:Until 2000, the Brown Kiwi was...
have been introduced to the island. As part of the Department of Conservation’s Operation Nest Egg Program numerous chicks have been released on the island because of its largely predator-free status. It has proved a safe place for them to grow to 1 kilograms (2.2 lb) or more in weight in 12–18 months, at which stage they are able to defend themselves from most predators and are released back to the mainland. Over the four years 2004-2007 a total of 47 kiwi chicks graduated from the island “crèche” and were returned to the mainland.
Grey-faced Petrel
From 2004 to 2008 five transfers of Grey-faced Petrel chicks were made to the island in order to establish a new population of the species there. The method used was to obtain chicks from breeding colonies on Taranga (Hen Island), before they had left their nesting burrows, and transfer them to artificial burrows on Matakohe where they were fed until they fledgeFledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
d and departed. Over the five years of the project 152 chicks fledged successfully. The transferred chicks were banded
Bird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
and it is expected that the first birds should begin returning to Matakohe three to five years after fledging, to start prospecting for suitable nesting burrows and partners. Breeding may not occur until the petrels are seven years old.
Exotic predators
PossumsCommon Brushtail Possum (New Zealand)
The Common Brushtail Possum is a major agricultural and conservation pest in New Zealand. It also goes by the name Paihamu.-Introduction by European settlers:...
, cats
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
, rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s and mustelid
Mustelidae
Mustelidae , commonly referred to as the weasel family, are a family of carnivorous mammals. Mustelids are diverse and the largest family in the order Carnivora, at least partly because in the past it has been a catch-all category for many early or poorly differentiated taxa...
s have been eradicated from the Island. However, due to the proximity of the mainland and easy access across mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s at low tide, rats, stoats
Stoats in New Zealand
Stoats were introduced into New Zealand to control rabbits and hares, but are now a major threat to the native bird population. The natural range of the stoat is limited to parts of the Northern Hemisphere...
and weasels
Least Weasel
The least weasel is the smallest member of the Mustelidae , native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, though it has been introduced elsewhere. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and presumably large population...
are still occasional visitors to the Island. Mice
House mouse
The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
have not yet been successfully eradicated, though efforts to do so continue; meanwhile, numbers are kept low with the use of poison bait stations.