The Brothers () is a group of small islands in Cook Strait, New Zealand, off the east coast of Arapaoa Island. The Brothers form two small island groups, each containing one main island and a number of tiny islets. The main islands are simply called North Brother and South Brother. South Brother is the larger of the two, covering some , but the North Brother is slightly more elevated, rising to , and is topped by the Brothers Islands Lighthouse, built in 1877. Most of the smaller islets lie in a small arc south of North Brother, with the largest being only some one hectare in area. The Māori name for the group, Ngāwhatu-kai-ponu, literally means "the eyes that witnessed", and the islands are considered tapu to the Māori. North Brother Island is a sanctuary for a rare reptile subspecies, the Brothers Island tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus guntheri), and is the type locality for a rare beetle species, the Cook Strait click beetle (Amychus granulatus), although the latter is possibly extinct there now. See also List of islands of New Zealand List of islands Desert island References External links Brothers Island Lighthouse at Maritime New Zealand Brothers Brothers Cook Strait Lighthouses in New Zealand