Podcasts Culture Roadside Stories Kapiti Island - warriors, whales and wildlife

Kapiti Island - warriors, whales and wildlife

Published: Aug. 30, 2011, 5:01 a.m.

Once a base for the famous chief Te Rauparaha and the Ngāti Toa tribe, with up to 3,000 occupants, Kapiti Island was the site of six whaling stations in the 1830s. It later became a wildlife sanctuary, where the eradication of pests has allowed kiwi, takahē, kōkako and other rare birds to flourish.