Watchman Island facts for kids
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Native name:
Te Kākāwhakaara
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The island in the centre of the photo, as seen from Masefield Beach, in Herne Bay.
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| Geography | |
| Location | Auckland |
| Coordinates | 36°50′06″S 174°43′55″E / 36.8349°S 174.7320°E |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Waitemata Harbour |
| Area | 60 m2 (650 sq ft) |
| Length | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Width | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Coastline | 30 m (100 ft) |
| Administration | |
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New Zealand
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Watchman Island, also known by its Māori name Te Kākāwhakaara, is a tiny island made of sandstone. It's located in the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. You can find it about 600 meters north of the Herne Bay area.
Contents
Island History
Early Names and Records
In the mid-1800s, this small island was known by a different name: Sentinel Rock. This name appeared on a British map of the Waitemata Harbour from 1857.
A Flag on the Island
On July 31, 2011, a special flag was raised on Watchman Island. This was a Māori Sovereignty flag. It was put there by four people who traveled by waka (a traditional Māori canoe) as part of a journey through the harbour. The flag has since been taken down.
Watchman Island in the News
The Adidas Statue
Watchman Island is easy to see from the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This made it a good spot for an Adidas advertising campaign in 2005. Adidas put up a metal statue of a crouching figure on the island. This figure was shown doing a haka, which is a traditional Māori dance. The campaign was meant to support the All Blacks rugby team during a big tour.
Adidas said they had talked to people before putting up the statue. However, some people felt the statue was disrespectful to Māori culture. Because of this, someone went to the island and removed the statue. Watchman Island is considered traditional Māori land.
Who Owns Watchman Island?
Unique Legal Status
Watchman Island has a very interesting legal situation. Its ownership isn't clearly defined. For a long time, neither the Auckland City Council, the Auckland Regional Council, nor Ports of Auckland said they were responsible for the island.
Some local iwi (Māori tribes) are believed to have traditional rights over the island. Mike Lee, who used to be the chairman of the Auckland Regional Council, once explained this. He said that Watchman Island and many other small islands in the Hauraki Gulf "are not formally owned in a property title sense." He added that for almost 150 years, they have been in a "legal limbo" as 'uninvestigated' land, which usually means it's Māori customary land. This means its ownership was never officially settled by the government.
