Taieri Island / Moturata facts for kids
Māori: Moturata/Taieri
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![]() Moturata/Taieri Island
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Geography | |
Location | Otago region |
Coordinates | 46°03′28″S 170°13′03″E / 46.057812°S 170.217369°E |
Administration | |
New Zealand
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Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Moturata, also known as Taieri Island, is a small island in southern New Zealand. It sits right at the mouth of the Taieri River. When the tide is low, you can even walk to the island across a sandy path that connects it to the mainland.

This island is a special place because it's a nature reserve. This means it's protected to help keep its wildlife safe. Many seabirds live here, especially the amazing yellow-eyed penguins.
Long ago, in the 1830s and 1840s, Moturata was a whaling station. People hunted whales here, mostly southern right whales and humpbacks. Many whaling stations like this operated around New Zealand. Sadly, this caused whale numbers to drop very low.
Today, whales are slowly coming back. Sometimes, you can see them in this area during their migration season. In 2006, a group of four southern right whales was seen playing near Taieri Mouth. It was a special sighting, as it had been a long time since a group like that was seen in New Zealand waters.
Island History
Moturata/Taieri Island has an interesting past. It might have been a place called "Isle of Wight" where a ship landed in 1809. This ship was carrying seal hunters. One of these men, William Tucker, later settled nearby. Another idea is that "Isle of Wight" was Green Island, New Zealand, which is also close by.
Whaling Station Days
In 1839, the Weller brothers, who ran a big whaling station at Otago Harbour, set up a smaller station on Taieri Island. They operated it for three years. Records show they caught a lot of whale oil in 1839, but less in the following years.
A ship called the Dublin Packet was wrecked near the island in 1839. It was trying to pick up whale oil from the station. Sadly, some people on board were lost during the wreck.
In 1844, another person named Johnny Jones briefly started whaling on the island again. A man named Tommy Chaseland and his wife Puna were in charge of the whaling crew. At that time, visitors described the island as a very uncomfortable place to live for the whalers.