In Tauranga is a wildlife refuge named Mayor Island - Maori name is Tuhua meaning "Spell" and I can understand why. The photo doesn't do it justice but the water colour is see through green and blue. The island has a history of volcanic upheaval and the best feature of the rock is the black Obsidian which was used by early Maori for cutting and scraping tools and also for weapons.
These days it is owned by local Iwi and you can only visit/step foot on this island with strict permission. Some of the birds that live there are bell-birds, tui, wood pigeons, morepork, fantail, kaka, grey warbler, waxeye, kingfisher, pied stilt and kingfisher.
Linking up with Our World Tuesday.
