Rakino Island
| Rakino Island | ||
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| Waters | Hauraki Gulf | |
| Geographical location | 36 ° 43 ′ 0 ″ S , 174 ° 57 ′ 0 ″ E | |
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| length | 2.4 km | |
| width | 1.2 km | |
| surface | 1.5 km² | |
| Residents | 16 11 inhabitants / km² |
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Rakino Island is one of the many islands in the Hauraki Gulf , an arm of the Pacific Ocean northeast of Auckland in New Zealand .
Rakino is a small island northeast of Motutapu Island . It is 2.4 km long and about 1.2 km wide and has an area of 1.5 km². The two most popular bays are open to the public, three others only from the sea. Other smaller bays and beaches are not open to the public. The public wharf is at the south end of Sandy Bay , a large boat ramp on the west end of Sanford Way in Home Bay . The island's hill country is covered by a fertile layer of topsoil that was created by the volcanic activity of the Rangitoto . Underneath there is a thick layer of clay, the bedrock consists of greywacke .
The island is mostly pastureland. On the coast there are some patches of pōhutukawa trees. There are more than 76 buildings on the island, most of them holiday homes. The permanent population is about 16 residents. Rakino is not very attractive to commuters because of the few permanent residents, the small size and the limited ferry traffic.
history
Sir George Edward Gray , who ruled New Zealand twice as Governor General and once again as Prime Minister , bought Rakino in 1862. He planted trees and began building a house on Home Bay, but lost interest in being Kawau Island for him became available. In the 1860s, prisoners from the New Zealand Wars were brought to the island. Some were housed on Hulks in the harbor. A small group was settled on the island with a house and garden tools. This experiment failed and was quickly abandoned.
In 1874 Albert Sanford leased the Isle of Gray and later bought it. He and his family lived here for almost 80 years. He was one of the founders of the Auckland fishing fleet. He started his business on Rakino Island in 1881 and sold fish on Queen Street Kay in Auckland. In 1904 the company Sanford Limited was founded. The house he built for the family is on Home Bay. It was built from Kauri tribes brought as a raft from Mercury Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula .
In 1963 the island was bought by Maxwell Rickard, president of United peoples' organization (Worldwide) . He planned to build a philanthropic community here. Rickard was a dazzling figure. He was a clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist , owned a night club in Auckland and toured the country as a hypnotist under the stage name "The Great Ricardo". His plans for the island included a clinic for the mentally and mentally ill, an international orphanage , a home for single mothers, and a retirement home. These plans did not materialize, however, and in 1965 the island was divided into 25 parcels of 10 acres each and 125 smaller lots, which were sold for prices between £ 2500 and £ 6000.
Because communications were poor, the island's first solar powered phone was installed. Although cell phones have reduced dependency on landlines, the phone is still operational and local calls to Auckland are free.