Rotoroa Island (formerly known as Ruthe's Island) is an island to the east of

Waiheke Island Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most populated island ...

in the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Auckland Ferry Terminal, Auckland ferry terminal. It covers .

History

Due to the natural springs, Māori only visited the island. Record of land purchase by the New Zealand Company, arriving on the ''Rosanna,'' dates to 23 September 1826. Rotoroa Island along with neighbouring

Pakatoa Island Pakatoa Island, previously known as Bell's Island, is one of the islands located in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, covering . The island is owned by New Zealand businessman, John Ramsay. History The 23rd September 1826, is the first record ...

and

Pakihi Island Pakihi Island is a privately-owned island located in the Hauraki Gulf to the east of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. With an area of , it is one of the smallest of the Hauraki Gulf Islands. It is located 1 km southwest of Ponui Island, a ...

were sold for one double-barreled gun, eight muskets, and one barrel of gunpowder. The deed was translated and co-signed by

Thomas Kendall Thomas Kendall (13 December 1778 – 6 August 1832) was a schoolmaster, an early missionary to Māori people in New Zealand, and a recorder of the Māori language. An evangelical Anglican, he and his family were in the first group of mission ...

, and witnessed by three company men and 15 Māori. Rotoroa Island Wharf And Shelter Building

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

purchased it for £400 in 1908 from the Ruthe family to expand their alcohol and

drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. The general int ...

facility at nearby

. Men were treated at Home Bay at Rotoroa, while women were treated at Pakatoa. This treatment facility was closed in 2005. In 2008, philanthropists Neal and Annette Plowman negotiated a 99-year lease from the Salvation Army, establishing the Rotoroa Island Trust, and created a program of restoration and redevelopment, designed to return island access to the people of New Zealand. Rotoroa Island opened to the public for the first time in over 100 years in February 2011.

Conservation

The Rotoroa Island Trust partnered with

Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo () is a zoo, zoological garden in Auckland, New Zealand, situated next to Western Springs Park not far from Auckland's Auckland CBD, central business district. It is run by Auckland Council with the Zoological Society of Auckland as ...

to establish the island as a conservation sanctuary. Due to the island's status as pest free, natives birds such as

takahē The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a Flightless bird, flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the Rail (bird), rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, whic ...

, pāteke (brown teal), tīeke (saddleback),

Grey-faced petrel The grey-faced petrel (''Pterodroma gouldi'') is a species of petrel endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name and (along with other species such as the sooty shearwater) as a muttonbird. ...

Weka The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (''Gallirallus australis'') is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. Some authorities consider it as the only extant member of the genus '' Gallirallus''. ...

and North Island brown kiwi were identified as suitable species for translocation to the island. Species such as the takehē, tieke,

kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), an informal name for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible hairy fruit with many seeds * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of curren ...

, popokotea, shore skinks, moko skinks, and pateke have all been translocated to the island as part of a wider endangered species breeding programme.

Kiwi

Rotoroa Island is a creche site for Coromandel brown kiwi. The chicks are released on Rotoroa Island when they are just a few weeks old, weighing 250-300g and are able to grow up in the safety of the island. Every two years, Rotoroa Island does a kiwi muster for adult birds. Weighing about 1 kg, the mature kiwi are better able to defend themselves against predators such as

stoat The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine or ermine, is a species of mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on th ...

s and feral cats. Some are returned to the Coromandel, while others are taken to nearby

Motutapu Island Motutapu Island is a island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. The island can be accessed via regular ferry services departing from Auckland City. ...

to establish a new population.

Takahē

The Takahē Recovery Programme, managed by the Department of Conservation,

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and Fulton Hogan aims to protect and promote population growth of takahē. Rotorua Island has been identified as a safe site for takahē and is one of the locations working toward establishing 125 breeding pairs.

Restoration programme

By 2011, when the island was opened to the public, over 20,000 pine trees were removed and over 400,000 native New Zealand trees were planted. This included 27 different species. Rotoroa Island followed an extensive pest eradication programme, and has a pest-free status. The Rotoroa Island Museum opened in 2011. The building was designed in the style of a New Zealand wool shed by architect Rick Pearson of Pearson & Associates Architects Ltd. In 2011 the building won an Auckland Architecture Award. Three holiday homes and a shared hostel accommodation, were restored enabling the public to stay overnight on the island. The sculpture, ''Kaitiaki'' (2010-2011) by New Zealand artist Chris Booth is located at the island’s southern point.

Flora

In August 2018, Kauri seedlings were donated to the Rotoroa Island Trust by Kauri 2000 Trust and BNZ. Rotoroa Island is a carbon neutral island with all the trees planted, calculated to remove twice the carbon emitted.

Climate

References

{{coord, 36, 49, S, 175, 12, E, region:NZ_type:isle, display=title Islands of the Hauraki Gulf Islands of the Auckland Region Uninhabited islands of New Zealand Former populated places in New Zealand