MÄnana Island
MÄnana Island, a frequent star in the Magnum P.I. series (because it can be seen from the estate known in the series as “Robin’s Nest.”) is less than a mile from shore near KaupÅ Beach on the windward side of Oahu. MÄnana Island (actually an islet) is a tuff cone — a geological formation made when burning magma comes into contact with surface water.
MÄnana Island is also known as Rabbit Island. I wasn’t quite certain why, since mÄnana is the Hawaiian word for bouyant, so I looked it up. It seems that the name Rabbit Island has two origins. One, the island supposedly looks like a Rabbit’s head (think swimming rabbit), and two, there was an experimental rabbit farm on the island, but the rabbits were quickly destroying the echo system and had to be removed. There are currently no wild rabbits on Oahu. The agricultural department would like it to stay that way.
Currently, MÄnana Island is a State Sea Bird Sanctuary. Landing on the island without permission from the State of Hawai‘i, Department of Land Natural Resources is illegal. The island provides breeding grounds for the Wedge-tailed Shearwater, the Sooty Tern, the Brown Noddy, Bulwer’s Petrel and the Red-tailed Tropicbird. Although the island is primarily a bird sanctuary, Hawaiian Monk Seals also often sunbathe on the island’s lone beach.
13 Comments
I read your interview (so funny) on David’s blog, so I had to come and visit. What a wonderful place!! Thank you.
I didn’t know rabbits could swim…
I guess I can kinda see a rabbit. 🙂
Nice info though.
* Sigh*
On top of all that beauty, it’s a bird sanctuary, and it has sunbathing seals.
Okay.
I’ll come back as a seal in my next life. Or a bird.
i much prefer bird sanctuary to rabbit farm
any spectacular photos of those birds?
Poor rabbits get a bad rap just because of Australia.
Tuff cone and Brown Noddy are words that for some reason made me smile.
Yes, I am silly.
That islet is picturesque.
It looks like a great place to have a bird sanctuary.
The rabbits were destroying the echo system? What were We doing on that island? Refining Our (ahem) interrogation tactics? In which case, yay for the rabbits!
😉
Meg — thank you.
Melli — ? Learn something new everyday.
Carletta — you’re still the better historian.
Jientje — just make certain you came back near a sanctuary.
Juliana — not yet, but since I live closer to that side of the island I may have better chances to get some.
Dr. John — that’ll happen if you eat an entire continent.
Jamie Dawn — I looked them up to see if they were for real!
Betty — it does, doesn’t it?
Amoeba, my love, I have to quit blogging after midnight. :*
Those birds must be very happy.
Gotta look for that the next time I’m wathing a Magnum rerun, it looks like a bit of a tough hike once you beach the kayak! Oh yeah..not supposed to go there…whooops 😉
I assume you mean ecosystem. Rabbits have their place. But their place is not someone where they have been introduced.
Dr John, the bad name Rabbits have in Australia is well deserved.
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