Browns Island/Motukorea

Browns Island or Motukorea is part of a public recreation reserve and one of the best preserved volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field. This ancient spot of land covered by several scoria cones is of great archeological remains, a jewel when it comes to archaic artifacts and it played a dominant role in aviation history. Motukorea has firstly been translated as the “island of the oystercatcher”, other translations making reference to the central crater of the island.

This small island of New Zealand called either Browns Island or Motukorea is located in the Hauraki Gulf in the North part of Musick Point. The island and its volcanoes believed to have erupted between 8000 and 12000 years ago is one of the best preserved in the Auckland Volcanic Field. The beauty of the island consists in several volcanic cones, with the highest elevation of 68 meters (223 feet) and a small remnant of a tuff crater. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, a public recreation reserve maintained by the Department of Conservation.

Browns Island or Motukorea is a famous landmark because of its archeological remains which are proof that the island has been inhabited by several nations in pre-European times. The aboriginals occupying the lands were believed to be engaging in the stone working industry, marine exploitation or gardening of the volcanic very fertile soils. The Europeans are believed to have first visited the island in 1820. The island’s name Browns comes from one of the two British settlers which have bought the island from the aboriginal people and settled in the West part of it on the 13th of August 1840, this transaction representing one of the earliest European settlements in the Auckland area.
Motukorea is also significant when it comes to aviation history because the first glider flights departed from the upper slopes of this island’s cones.

Whether you want to visit Browns Island to discover the natural beauty of it or visit the historical Maori pa sites, the gardens and the hundred year old settlements, you will have to take a few precautions. Learn that private boats are the main means of access on this island which is not a place to be reached by ferries or larger vessels. Navigation is difficult due to the 70 meters long rock reef parallel to the beach shore. It is also best that you reach the island on its Northern side which is more sheltered and has a small 100 meters long beach.

Take a trip to an archeological remnant with many names and as many meanings! Browns Island or Motukorea can be an educational trip where you connect with nature and find out interesting facts about the past. Discover the wonderful secluded beauty of one of the best preserved volcanoes in New Zealand’s Auckland Volcanic Field, the “island of the oystercatcher”.