The Brothers () is a group of small islands in Cook Strait, New Zealand, off the east coast of Cape Koamaru, Arapaoa Island. The islands are a restricted-access wildlife sanctuary administered by the Department of Conservation.

Islands

The Brothers form two small island groups, each containing one main island and a number of tiny islets. The main islands are simply called North Brother and South Brother. South Brother is the larger of the two, covering some , but the North Brother is slightly more elevated, rising to . Most of the smaller islets lie in a small arc south of North Brother, with the largest being only some one hectare in area.

Awash Rock is about south of The Brothers. At high water it is just visible, but strong currents flow around it, as they do between Cape Koamaru and The Brothers, where there are often over falls and whirlpools.

History

The Māori name for the group, Ngāwhatu-kai-ponu, literally means "the eyes that witnessed" and according to tradition it refers to the eyeballs of the giant octopus, Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, that Kupe battled. The islets were considered tapu to Māori. Paddlers making their first crossing of Raukawa/Cook Strait were blindfolded with kawakawa leaves as it was considered bad luck to see the islands on their first crossing; tohunga and ariki were exempted from this rule.

During Captain James Cook's first visit to the area, HMS Endeavour was very nearly wrecked on the Brothers, as a lack of wind and strong tide drove the ship towards the rocks. A change in the direction of the tide saved the ship.

Lighthouse

The Brothers Island lighthouse is located on the summit of North Brother. The lighthouse was built in 1877 and is New Zealand's only rock station. It replaced the Mana Island lighthouse. When a lighthouse was erected on Mana Island to serve Cook Strait comment was made in the Marlborough Press that despite the expense it would have been better to have put one on the Brothers. This request was again repeated in the Evening Post in 1870. In 1867 SS Queen sank after hitting Cook's Rock, just to the north of the Brothers; Cook's Rock was lit by a red light once the lighthouse opened. In 1872 the barque City of Newcastle was lost because the Captain mistook the Mana Island light for the entrance to Wellington Harbour. In 1874 a report titled New Zealand Coast Lights by Captain Johnson was tabled in Parliament and, among others, recommended removing the Mana Island light in favour of a light on the Brothers.

Construction of the lighthouse was difficult because of its isolation and lack of fresh water. Building materials for construction were unable to be delivered to the island for 2 months because of the weather and sea conditions. Workers had to construct huts as tents could not be pitched on the rock.

Other

The Brothers lighthouse featured on one of the 1947 New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department lighthouse series postage stamps, specifically the 6d stamp.

Climate

See also

  • List of islands of New Zealand
  • List of islands
  • Desert island

References

  • Brothers Island Lighthouse at Maritime New Zealand