Boarding students at School for the Deaf – Titirangi – are treated to a day out to Motihue Island (Te Motu-a-Ihenga) in the Hauraki Gulf, 17 kilometres from downtown Auckland. Motihue Island is a considered a great destination for day trippers, with sandy beaches. During 1941 – 1963, with the outbreak of World War II and the urgent need to train more navy personnel, the island was utilized as a navy training base named HMNZS Tamaki. More than 6000 recruits passed through during the 22 years it operated, including many who served in the World War II. This video contains footage Deaf students hitching a ride on a jeep driven by HMNZS Tamaki personnel. While there is no specific information about this trip as the School Magazine did not start until 1954, “The Chronicles of Titirangi, Mt Wellington and Kelston Schools of the Deaf” book shows that staff members often took Titirangi boarding students away on day trips, to the Carnival at Western Springs, picnics, the zoo, and to Motihue Island as they did in this video.
Footage also includes shots of the full-length Motuihe wharf which was rebuilt in 1979.
Source: www.motuihe.org.nz & “The Chronicles of Titirangi, Mt Wellington and Kelston Schools of the Deaf”
