| Manukapua Island | |
| Native Name: | Maori: Manukapua |
| Coordinates: | -36.3831°N 174.2432°W |
| Etymology: | Cloud of Birds |
| Location: | Auckland |
| Waterbody: | Kaipara Harbour |
| Area M2: | 2500 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Length M: | 4000 |
| Width M: | 1000 |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Country Admin Divisions Title: | Region |
| Country Admin Divisions: | Auckland Region |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 1: | Local government area |
| Country Admin Divisions 1: | Rodney |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 2: | Subdivision |
| Country Admin Divisions 2: | Wellsford Subdivision |
Manukapua Island, also known as Sand Island or Big Sand Island,[2] is an island located in the Kaipara Harbour in the Auckland Region, New Zealand, near Tāpora on the Okahukura Peninsula.
Manukapua Island is located in the central Kaipara Harbour, at the point where the Kaipara Entrance meets the Otamatea Channel and the Tauhoa Channel. The area is dominated by sand dunes and wetlands. The island is accessible by foot.[2]
Much of the island is located within the Manukapua Government Purpose (Wildlife Management) Reserve, previously known as the Tapora Government Purpose (Wildlife Management) Reserve, and the island is a part of the Manukapua Island and Okahukura Sequence biodiversity focus area,[3] It is an important nesting area for the New Zealand dotterel and New Zealand fairy tern, and is a roosting area for migratory birds.[3]
Ngāti Whātua traditions tell of the Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi migratory waka arriving at the Kaipara Harbour. Some of the crew members, including Rongomai, Mawete and Po, settled at Tāporapora, with the descendants of Toi, who already lived in the area.[4] Different sections of the island (then a peninsula) were named Tāporapora, a name which references a place in the homeland of the Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi waka, and Manukapua, a name which means "Cloud of Birds".[5] Tāporapora was a fertile sandy land that gradually eroded west of the Okahukura Peninsula, of which Manukapua Island is a remnant.[6] [7] The island is seen as the birthplace of Ngāti Whātua, and has spiritual importance to the hapū Te Uri-o-Hau.[8]
Since the 14th century, the island has significantly reduced in size due to weather events such as tsunami, with oral traditions describing the island as extending far into the Kaipara Harbour mouth.[8]
In 2013, a fire destroyed all vegetation on the island.[8] In 2019, the Department of Conservation funded a widescale restoration project on the island, where of gorse and pampas that had grown since the fire was cleared, and replaced by 13,000 native trees.[8]