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Biogeographers use the language of islands to theorise insular communities, extending the term beyond coastal environments to include so-called 'mainland' islands. This paper suggests a similar approach is needed within cultural geography to account for places that are connected to archipelagos despite being unenclosed by water. The paper begins with a critique of materialist definitions of islands and the methodological assumptions underpinning them. It then speculates on an alternative theory of islands, which views them as autonomous objects and dynamic systems for reordering times and spaces within and beyond their watery margins. Auckland's Waitākere Ranges are considered as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]