The island is located approximately 4.7 km (2.9 mi) southwest of Kawau Island, and around 13.5 km (8.4 mi) southeast of Warkworth, in the Hauraki Gulf.

[3] Motutara was quarried after 1929 after the land was acquired by the New Zealand Government.

Operating in the 1930s and 1940s, stone from the quarry was used to construct roads between Auckland and Whangārei.

[1] In 1968, the quarry reserve (located on one third of the island) was transferred to the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, becoming a nature reserve.

This land became a part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park in 1975.