Bare Island, Waimarama

“Bare Island, also known as Motu-O-Kura (or ‘the Island of Kura’ in Māori) is a small island located in the Pacific Ocean in the southern Hawke’s Bay on the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It is located 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) off the North island coast, near Waimarama, 25 kilometres (16 miles) south of Cape Kidnappers.

On the south-west side of the Island, there is an aquifer exuding fresh water called ‘Nga Puhake-o-te-ora’ or ‘the burp of life’. From the shore, Motu-O-Kura is bare, but from the seaward side, there is enough cover to provide resting sites for blue penguins and sooty shearwaters.

When Jules Dumont d’Urville sailed past in 1827 he reported houses and boats on the seaward side. According to Māori legend, the Island is named after a woman named Kura. During times of siege, Kura would dive down to obtain fresh water from the aquifer on the island.”

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