Mana Island

Untitled Slide

• The full Maori name is 'Te Mana o Kupe' - the mana of Kupe

In the early 1820s, the Ngati Toa iwi, led by Te Rauparaha established bases on Mana

European occupation began in the 1830s with a whaling station, and bush was cleared for an early sheep farm.

A lighthouse was built to the north in 1863, but shipwrecks were caused due to confusion between this light and Pencarrow light at the entrance to Wellington Harbour

Untitled Slide

• The Vella family farmed the island from 1886-1953, farming sheep

Untitled Slide

• In the 1980's the Department of Conservation (DOC) took over the management of the island and by 1990 it became a wildlife sanctuary

Untitled Slide

• Mice were eradicated from the island in 1990 and many native bird and animal species were relocated to the island so they could flourish

Untitled Slide

• Rare New Zealand birds such as the Takahe inhabit the island. There are 60 of the flightless Takahe on the island. They were once thought of as extinct.

Other rare birds on Mana Island include

• Kiwi which were transported via Irquois helicopter from Mana

Untitled Slide

• North Island Robin

Untitled Slide

• Mana Island is also home to the rare Whitaker's Skink, its only home outside Pukerua Bay
• The island is also home to the Cook Strait Giant Weta