[4] On 2 November 1769, during his first voyage, Captain Cook sailed close inshore to Mōtītī Island, where he reported the most extensive complex of fortified villages he had yet seen.

[2] On 5 October 2011 the container ship MV Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef, seven kilometers north of Mōtītī Island.

Oil from the resulting spill, as well as shipping containers and their contents, reached the shore of the island.

[6] In October 2013, Mōtītī Island residents rejected an offer by the MV Rena's owners to start a development project for the island, in return for being able to leave the Rena wreckage where it lay.

[7] The plan included: On 9 October 2011, the 45-foot launch M/V Excalibur ran aground on Mōtītī Island in bad weather.