[2] It lies in the entrance to Rakituma / Preservation Inlet, between Puysegur Point and Gulches Head.

[3] Its Māori name is Te Puka-Hereka Island, which translates as "The Tied Anchor".

The island is part of Fiordland National Park and is an important conservation site.

[4] It was declared pest-free in 2005 and is one of only nine islands in the area that is completely free of introduced mammalian pests.

[1][5] Since 2005, endangered endemic birds such as the southern brown kiwi (totoaka) and the yellowhead (mohua) have been released on the island.