Slipper Island (

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

: ''Whakahau'') is located to the east of the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

and southeast of the town of

Pauanui The town of Pauanui (a Māori language name meaning "big pāua (abalone)") is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacifi ...

History

Approximately 18,000 years ago during the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eu ...

when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, Slipper Island was connected to the Coromandel by a vast coastal plain. Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, after which the island was separated from the rest of New Zealand. When sea levels were lower, the Tairua River flowed between modern Slipper Island and

Shoe Island / Motuhoa Shoe Island / Motuhoa is a small island covering some lying off the east coast of New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula. It lies immediately to the east of the entrance to Tairua Harbour. The larger Slipper Island lies to the southeast.

, travelling eastwards towards the Pacific Ocean. There is evidence that the island was the site of early activity of New Zealand's first

settlers on their arrival around 1300AD, principally by the discovery of a tropical pearl shell lure in 2001. There are also eight

Pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...

sites and other evidence of occupation such as middens. Numerous

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refe ...

bone blanks used by early East Polynesian settlers for making fish hooks have also been found. The Island is considered wahi tapu, or sacred to

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori culture, Māori society. In Māori-language, Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and ...

, the Ngāti Maru Runanga and

Ngāti Hei Ngāti Hei is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. Ngāti Hei is generally recognised as the dominant tribe of the Mercury Bay area. There has always been much speculation as to the origins of Māori people. Historians agree that Māori arrived in Aote ...

. Tuokiokio was the last Māori chief, or rangatira, of Whakahau. The island was used as a farm from the mid to late 19th century. More recent farm owners included the Normans, later of Opoutere, and the Needhams who purchased the island around 1970. About 217ha (95 per cent) of the island was later set up as a resort by the Needham family, Abe and Nora and their 14 children. This was sold to Auckland-based property developer Wendy Weimei Wu in 2015. The guests and tourists used the then only habitation on the island, the resort of six chalets and the family homestead.For rent: Slipper Island, New Zealand’s private island paradise
Brook Sabin, stuff.co.nz, 2018-01-05 The balance of the island, seven hectares around South Bay, has been subdivided. The television programme ''

Grand Designs New Zealand ''Grand Designs New Zealand'' is a New Zealand television series. It is based on the British television series ''Grand Designs'' and it was originally presented by the architect Chris Moller and aired on TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Tel ...

'' featured the building of a new house on this land in October 2017. Several smaller islets (including Penguin Island and Rabbit Island) are found off its southern tip, and the 40-hectare

lies to the northwest.

References

External links

Official website

Slipper Island Blog
Thames-Coromandel District Islands of Waikato Private islands of New Zealand {{Waikato-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links