[1] In Te Kawerau ā Maki oral histories, the island was visited by the Polynesian navigator Kupe.

[2][3] The island was the location of a Te Kawerau ā Maki defensive pā, guarding the entrance to the Manukau Harbour.

Many attest that the word is a corruption of Paratūtai, referring to the rise and fall of the tides at the Manukau Bar,[2][3] while a separate traditional story involves a chief visiting the island and developing diarrhoea after eating too much para fern root (Ptisana salicina),[6][2] The rocky sections of Whatipu, Motu Paratūtai, Te Toka Tapu ā Kupe / Ninepin Rock and Te Marotiri ō Takamiro (Cutter Rock) were collectively known as Te Kupenga ā Taramainuku, or "The Fishing Net of Taramainuku".

[3] A signal mast was installed on the island in the 1850s, in order to improve safety for ships entering the Manukau Harbour.

[7] Waitākere Ranges kauri timber would transported to the Whatipu sawmill and the wharf by tramway.