Hauraki Gulf
Tiritiri
Visitors can also catch a 20-minute ferry ride to the island from Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula.
Matangi Island Native Bird Sanctuary For something special, a 75-minute ferry trip from downtown Auckland deposits nature lovers at Tiritiri Matangi, an island sanctuary for New Zealand native birds. Tiri, as it’s known by locals, is also home to a spectacular lighthouse and beaches, with walking tracks to the Visitor Centre ranging from 15 minutes to two hours.
Aotea
Island Kawau Island
Snorkelling Don’t forget to pack your snorkels! Excellent snorkelling is found on the eastern side of the island. Walk to Northeast Bay and snorkel out to Wooded Island or head for the rocks off Hobbs Beach, close to the wharf.
Great
Barrier Kawau
Island Bon Accord Bar & Bistro TOP TIP: A two-hour round trip walk from Mansion House leads to one of Aotearoa’s first copper mines.
Nestled within the Kawau Boating Club, work (or should that be walk) up an appetite and drop in here for food and refreshment.
Great
ier BarrBeehive Island Those with a
Catch the Ferry Kawau Island
is accessed by a 30-minute ferry from Sandspit Wharf (69km north of central Auckland). The island enjoys its own microclimate and even winter temperatures can hit a very pleasant 20 degrees Celsius.
boat or kayaks at their disposal can launch from Kawau Island and sail south-west to this tiny droplet of exotic land. Low tide exposes a platinum-white sand shelf comparable to a miniature Fijian motu.
Mansion House Sir George
Royal Mail Run Cruise
Grey (former Governor-General of New Zealand) purchased Kawau in the 1860s and you can still visit his Victorian mansion, as well as the surrounding gardens and its most recent add-on, the café.
this daily sailing to Kawau Island includes 75 wharf stops to drop off the locals’ mail and provisions. The views from the boat are incomparable.
Island
Motutapu
Departing at 10.30am every d Islan morning from Sandspit Wharf,
Waiheke
Island
See Map Section - pages 66 to 71
Island
Tiritiri Matangi Island © Mark Meredith BELOW: Mansion House, Kawau Island © Monica Tischler
Motutapu
Island Historic Landscape Connected to Rangitoto Island by a small causeway, Motutapu is 178 million years old, making it one of the oldest land masses in the Hauraki Gulf. Its varied history covers extensive Māori settlement, Victorian picnic parties and a WWII base.
Birdwatching Following the world’s largest island pest eradication programme, this is a fine place to admire a flurry of native birds including the rare and beautiful tīeke.
The Motutapu Walkway Make your way from Islington Bay on Rangitoto Island, across the causeway to Home Bay and Emu Bay on this undulating farmland walk. Taking roughly one to one-and-a-half hours.
camp overnight right by the beach, as long as you’re prepared to carry all your gear from the Rangitoto ferry terminal (or book a water taxi/ commandeer a boat).
Waiheke
Island
Home Bay Conservation Campsite Thanks to DOC, you can
Rangitōtō Island
TOP TIP: Intrepid types might like to rent a kayak from Fergs near Ōkahu Bay Beach and paddle to Home Bay. Get ready to put in a solid few hours of hard graft.
Tiritiri
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