 Before the pigeon post service was established the only regular connection between the community on Great Barrier Island (90 kilometres northeast of Auckland) and the mainland was provided by a weekly coastal steamer.The island's isolation was highlighted when the ship SS "Wairarapa" was wrecked off its coast in 1894, with the loss of 121 lives, and the news took several days to reach the mainland.The pigeon post service began between the island and Auckland in 1897.