Paratutae Island

The island is a portion of a Miocene era volcanic dyke swarm.[1]

In Te Kawerau ā Maki oral histories, the island was visited by the Polynesian navigator Kupe. A section of the island is known by the name Te Hoe-a-Kupe ("The Paddle of Kupe"), referring to the location where Kupe struck his paddle against the island, to commemorate his visit.[2][3] The island was the location of a Te Kawerau ā Maki defensive pā, guarding the entrance to the Manukau Harbour.[4] Around the year 1700, the pā was captured by Kawharu, the famed Tainui warrior who led Ngāti Whātua warriors to take the Waitākere Ranges area.[4] The island is one of the few locations where pre-European Māori textiles have been found, during an archaeological survey in the early 1900s.[5]

The etymology of the island's name is contested. Many attest that the word is a corruption of Paratūtai, referring to the rise and fall of the tides at the Manukau Bar,[2][3] while a separate traditional story involves a chief visiting the island and developing diarrhea after eating too much para fern root (Ptisana salicina),[6][2] The rocky sections of Whatipu, Motu Paratūtai, Te Toka Tapu ā Kupe / Ninepin Rock and Te Marotiri ō Takamiro (Cutter Rock) were collectively known as Te Kupenga ā Taramainuku, or "The Fishing Net of Taramainuku".[3]

A signal mast was installed on the island in the 1850s, in order to improve safety for ships entering the Manukau Harbour.[7] In November 1863 during the Invasion of the Waikato, a Waikato raiding party climbed the island and cut down the signal mast.[7] In the latter 19th century, a wharf was constructed on the north-east side of the island.[7] Waitākere Ranges kauri timber would transported to the Whatipu sawmill and the wharf by tramway.[7] The wharf was used until 1921, and was demolished in 1950.[7]

While originally an island separated from the mainland, the sandbank at Whatipu gradually accumulated during the late 20th century, so that by 1989 Paratutae had become a tied island.[7]