Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands – set apart as the seas rose
During the Last Glacial Maximum, when sea levels were more than a hundred metres lower, most of New Zealand's offshore islands were joined to the mainland. Manawatāwhi was connected only to its neighbouring islets, never to the mainland, and from about 7,000 years ago rising seas separated the individual islands of the group. They were traditionally settled by Muriwhenua Māori; in Māori tradition Ōhau, West Island, is the last glimpse of New Zealand seen by departing spirits after Cape Reinga. Ngāti Kurī came periodically as a refuge and to harvest hāpuku, seabirds and eggs, and the Great Island was cleared to grow kūmara. The thirteen islands are uninhabited today. Share your own photographs and stories.