Paratahi Island

Paratahi Island is an island on the west coast of the Auckland Region, New Zealand, located at Karekare. By the late 1990s, northward moving sand dunes had linked the island to the mainland. Paratahi Island is a nesting spot for white-fronted terns, red-billed gulls and a location where New Zealand fur seals are known to visit.

Geography

Paratahi Island is located off the west coast of the Auckland Region near Karekare, approximately southwest of Karekare Point. The island is separated in half by a saddle, with a significantly taller summit on the northern side of the island. The upper portions of the island are vegetated on the eastern side, but less vegetated on the western side that faces the Tasman Sea.
The island was previously separated from the mainland by a channel. Sand moving northwards from Whatipu turned Paratahi Island into a tied island by the late 1990s.
The island is formed from Columnar jointed dacite of volcanic origin.

Biodiversity

Much of the island is vegetated by taupata, alongside mats of Disphyma australe in the understory. The island is a nesting spot for white-fronted terns and red-billed gulls, and is a habitat for the native earwig species Anisolabis littorea. The island was previous populated by New Zealand fur seals up until the early 20th century. In 2012, small numbers of fur seals were reported to be present on the island.

History

The traditional Te Kawerau ā Maki name for the island is Te Toka Pāoke, later being known by the name Paratahi. Until the 2015 Te Kawerau ā Maki Treaty of Waitangi settlement, the island had been named Panatahi Island by the New Zealand Geographic Board.