History
The Island
Known to Mana Whenua as Te Motu a Hiaroa, Puketutu Island lies off the coast of Māngere in the Manukau Harbour.
It was the first permanent home of the crew of the Tainui waka in Aotearoa, and it holds deep significance for the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Waiohua, and Waikato-Tainui.
That connection to the land continues to shape the island today.
The Estate
For nearly half a century from 1852, the island was held by Sir John Logan Campbell, one of the founding figures of Auckland. In 1938 it passed to Sir Henry Kelliher, who made it his permanent home. He planted the tree-lined driveway you enter through, ran a celebrated stud farm, and drew remarkable people to the island for decades.
After Sir Henry's death in 1991, the Kelliher Charitable Trust restored the island to preserve it’s history and character.
The garden terrace, stone walls, and homestead was tended back to its best, creating the estate you see today.
Today
The ancient terracing remains. The harbour sits where it always has. The stillness that has drawn people here for six hundred years hasn't gone anywhere.
Celebrating here, your story becomes a part of our history.