Boat Rock

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox islands

| name = Boat Rock

| native_name = Te Nihokiore, Timata

| native_name_link = Māori language

| native_name_lang = Māori

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| map_image = {{infobox mapframe|zoom=10}}

| image_name = Westmere, 1946 (cropped - Boat Rock).jpg

| image_size = 300px

| image_caption = Boat Rock in the central Waitematā Harbour, pictured in 1946

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| coordinates = {{coord|-36.829855|174.693281|format=dms|type:isle_region:NZ|display=inline,title}}

| etymology =

| location = Auckland

| waterbody = Waitemata Harbour

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| country = New Zealand

| country_admin_divisions_title = Auckland

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Boat Rock is a tiny sandstone island in the Waitematā Harbour of Auckland, New Zealand. Boat Rock is a vanishing island, which is submerged at high tide.

Geology

The rock is a piece of the Waitemata Group sandstone exposed in the Waitematā Harbour.{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/00288306.1976.10423518| issn = 0028-8306| volume = 19| issue = 2| pages = 213–231| last1 = Hicks| first1 = SR| last2 = Kibblewhite| first2 = AC| title = Seismic reflection profiling in very Shallow waters in the upper Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand| journal = New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics| date = 1976| bibcode = 1976NZJGG..19..213H| doi-access = free}} The rock is an intertidal reef, exposed during low tide.{{Cite q|Q123699062}} The surface of Boat Rock is covered in sand and shell deposits.

Boat Rock is home to a number of species including sea slugs such as Dendrodoris citrina, Dendrodoris nigra and Pleurobranchaea maculata, sea snails such as Maoricolpus roseus and Dicathais orbita. In addition, the island is home to kina and a species of chiton, Cryptoconchus porosus.

History

The island was traditionally referred to by Tāmaki Māori iwi by various names, including Te Nihokiore ("The Rat's Tooth"), Timata, Te-Toka-tu-Moana ("The Rock Standing in Mid-Sea"), Te-Waka-o-Tawaroa and Te Mata-o-Kahu.{{Cite web |url=https://gazetteer.linz.govt.nz/place/59380 |title=Boat Rock |website=New Zealand Gazetteer |publisher=Land Information New Zealand|access-date=17 May 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19311128.2.174.57 |title="Waitemata." Meaning and History. A Popular Error. |newspaper=Auckland Star |page=12 |volume=LXII |issue=282 |via=Papers Past |date=28 November 1931 |access-date=17 May 2022}} Te Nihokiore is likely a metaphor for how the rocks remain sharp despite being battered by the sea, similar to a rat's tooth. The island is the namesake of the Waitematā Harbour, which literally means "Waters of Te Mata".{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/E80-Karen-Wilson-EIC-Te-Akitai-Waiohua.pdf |title=Brief of Evidence of Karen Akamira Wilson on Behalf of Te Ākitai Waiohua |date=28 August 2018 |first=Karen |last=Wilson |publisher=Ministry of Justice |accessdate=17 May 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127112406/https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/E80-Karen-Wilson-EIC-Te-Akitai-Waiohua.pdf |url-status=dead }} The name refers to Te Arawa chief Kahumatamomoe, who when visiting the harbour placed a mauri stone (a stone of religious significance) on Boat Rock. The name Waitematā originally only referred to the upper harbour area near Boat Rock.{{Cite journal| issn = 0032-4000| volume = 60| issue = 1| pages = 80–92| last1 = Graham| first1 = George |author-link1=George Graham (ethnographer)| title = Tainui| journal = The Journal of the Polynesian Society| date = 1951}} Boat Rock was traditionally used as a rohe marker, designating the boundary of influence between different Tāmaki Māori iwi.{{cite q|Q58677091}}

The waters surrounding Boat Rock were a traditional fishery, known by the name {{lang|mi|Waipokanoa}} ("The Waters of Foolishness").

In 1873, an iron ship beacon was erected on the island,{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WI18730602.2.3.2 |title=Notice to Mariners |newspaper=Wellington Independent |page=2 |volume=XXVIII |issue=3820 |via=Papers Past |date=2 June 1873 |access-date=17 May 2022}} which was damaged by ships in 1905.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19050717.2.83.5 |title=Untitled |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |page=6 |volume=XLII |issue=12920 |via=Papers Past |date=17 July 1905 |access-date=17 May 2022}}

References