Motuihe Island

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Motuihe Iceland is a 1.78 km ² large island off the North Island of New Zealand. It lies between Motutapu and Waiheke Iceland in the Hauraki Gulf. Today, it is a sanctuary for rare and endangered bird and insect species.

In the past, the island was used as farmland, quarantine station and during the First World War as an internment camp for German.

The most famous prisoner from 1917 to 1919 were Felix Graf von Luckner and Carl Kircheiß and four sailors of the German auxiliary cruiser SMS eagle. From the internment succeeded Luckner and Kircheiß to flee on 13 December 1917, a small crew on the hijacked motorboat Pearl of the island commander. They boarded the schooner later Moa, but were shortly captured again by the steamer Iris in Macauleyinsel. It was followed by the transport back to Motuihe and re- internment.

After the Second World War, a training center for recruits, HMNZS TAMAKI was built on the northeast end of the island by the Royal New Zealand Navy. It was operated until about 1978 and then moved to Devonport.

The island has sheltered beaches and can be reached by ferry from Auckland, 11 km away.

Flora and Fauna

The natural animal and plant life was threatened by introduced species. Therefore, rats and mice 1996 and rabbits and feral cats were eradicated in 2004. There were planted by volunteers, thousands of native tree seedlings. Endangered bird species such as the North Island Saddle bird parakeet ( Kakariki ) and the Maori Glockenhonigfresser were settled on the island again. 2009 and 2010 about 40 small Fleckenkiwis were exposed.

The bay on the north side. Another bay on the south side is only 30 meters away on the other side of the isthmus

• Uninhabited Island
• Island (New Zealand)
• Island (Australia and Oceania)
• Island ( Pacific Ocean )
• Auckland