[1] Rākino, with its few permanent residents and its small size, and with a limited public ferry service, has little attraction for commuters.

[2] He ordered trees and started building a house in Home Bay but he lost interest when Kawau Island became available.

There is an entry in the Appendices to the House of Representatives Journal which says "Ihaka did not thrive much on the island and died there, it is presumed of homesickness and a broken heart.

His company started on Rākino Island in 1881, and he sold fish on the wharves at the bottom of Queen St. “Sanford Limited” was incorporated in 1904.

In 1963, the island was bought by Dr Maxwell Rickard, president of the UPO (United Peoples' Organisation (Worldwide) Incorporated), with the aim of setting up a philanthropic community.

Plans for the island included a clinic for disturbed and nervous patients, an international orphanage, a refuge for unmarried mothers and homes for the elderly.