Moturoa (island) facts for kids
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Moturoa Island
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Motumahanga and Moturoa
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| Geography | |
| Location | near Port Taranaki |
| Coordinates | 39°02′55″S 174°01′40″E / 39.04861°S 174.02778°E |
| Archipelago | Sugar Loaf Islands |
| Length | 120 m (390 ft) |
| Width | 100 m (300 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 81 m (266 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Moturoa is a steep island off the coast of Taranaki, New Zealand. It is the largest island in a group called the Sugar Loaf Islands. Its name comes from the Māori language and means "long island".
Moturoa is about 120 metres (390 feet) long and 100 metres (330 feet) wide. It is separated from the main land of New Zealand's North Island by a channel about 800 metres (2,600 feet) wide. The entrance to Port Taranaki is just to the east of the island.
A suburb of New Plymouth on the mainland is also called Moturoa. This suburb is about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) southeast of the island. There are also smaller islands nearby. One of these is Whareumu (also known as Lion Rock), which is about 60 metres (200 feet) off Moturoa's southwest coast.
Who Lived on Moturoa?
Moturoa island does not have people living on it today. However, for hundreds of years, it was important to local Māori people. Groups like the Taranaki and Te Āti Awa used Moturoa and other Sugar Loaf Islands. They would go there to hunt, fish, and gather food. The islands also offered a safe place to hide if needed.
Changing the Island: Blasting History
In the early 1900s, people tried to change Moturoa and Whareumu islands. They used explosives to blast parts of them. The goal was to connect these islands to Mikotahi and the growing port at Moturoa on the mainland.
However, this plan was stopped. After that, people started mining a different area called Paritutu, which is west of New Plymouth. Because of the blasting work, the way Moturoa and Whareumu islands look changed a lot.
