Matiu / Somes Island

“Aotearoa’s daughters,” whispered the wind, rustling through the leaves of Matiu / Somes Island. “Do you hear their names?” Matiu / Somes Island stands before us, a sentinel in Wellington Harbour. It holds a thousand years of whispers, from the first footsteps of Māori to the echoes of quarantine and conflict. Matiu, daughter of the legendary navigator Kupe, lent her name to this island around 1000 CE. Her sister, Makaro, gave her name to the nearby Ward Island. But European settlers renamed the island after Joseph Somes, a financier of the New Zealand Company. The island became Matiu / Somes Island, a testament to its dual heritage. Matiu / Somes Island has seen a lot. It has been a refuge, a prison, and a place of healing. Māori sought shelter on its slopes, finding strategic advantage in its high banks. Later, it became New Zealand’s first inner harbour lighthouse in 1866, its beam cutting through the night to guide ships into Wellington Harbour. From 1840 to the 1920s, Matiu / Somes Island served as a human quarantine station. Ships carrying disease disembarked their passengers here. The island offered a place of isolation and care, but also a place of sadness. A memorial stands as a stark reminder of those who never left, buried on the island’s soil. During both World Wars, the island transformed into an internment camp. “Enemy aliens,” some with deep roots in New Zealand, were confined here. The stories of these internees, their hopes, fears, and resilience, are woven into the very fabric of the island. The remains of anti-aircraft gun emplacements, built during World War II, are still visible today. Even animals found refuge, or rather, quarantine, on Matiu / Somes Island from 1864 until 1995. The island, once largely bare pasture due to its use as a farm and quarantine station, underwent a remarkable transformation. From the 1980s, dedicated volunteers planted over 100,000 native plants, breathing life back into the landscape. Today, Matiu / Somes Island thrives as a scientific and historic reserve. Native birdsong fills the air, little blue penguins waddle along the shore, and tuatara bask in the sun. It’s a haven for wildlife, a testament to the power of restoration, and a place where the echoes of the past mingle with the promise of the future. As we leave Matiu / Somes Island, let us carry its stories with us. Let us remember the laughter and tears, the resilience and hope, that have shaped this remarkable island in Wellington Harbour.