Heritage
The rich history of Te Motu a Ihenga — Motuihe Island
Motuihe Island has a layered history spanning centuries — from its significance to Māori as Te Motu a Ihenga, through European farming, quarantine stations, wartime internment and naval training, to the community-led restoration that continues today.
In 2018 Robert Brassey wrote an “Assessment of Historical and Archaeological Significance of Motuihe” documenting the island’s heritage values.
Timeline
| Period | Era |
|---|---|
| Pre-1840 | Māori settlement and use of Te Motu a Ihenga |
| 1843–1872 | European farming begins (Campbell and Brown) |
| 1872–1941 | Government quarantine station |
| 1914–1918 | World War I internment camp |
| 1917 | Count Von Luckner’s famous escape |
| 1929–1941 | Sunshine Children’s Health Camp |
| 1941–1945 | Naval coastal defence |
| 1941–1963 | HMNZS Tamaki naval training base |
| 1963–2000 | Return to farming and recreation |
| 2000–present | Motuihe Trust restoration |
Explore the heritage pages
Select a topic below to learn more about each chapter of Motuihe’s history.
Acknowledgements
Heritage notes sourced from guiding notes written by Michael Wood and updated by Peter Whitmore and Lawrence Thoms; text and photos provided by John Laurence, chairman of the Motuihe Trust; personal memories from Ronnie Harrison who lived on Motuihe for 22 years; interviews with Peter Whitmore and Michael Wood; D.J. Scott’s 1974 landscape architecture study; Andy Dodd’s 2004 heritage tree survey; James Bade’s book Sea Devil: Count von Luckner in New Zealand and the Pacific; and photos from Steve Nelson, the Kircheiss and La Roche collections, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Julie Thomson, Lois Badham, Peter Barron, and Fiona Alexander.