Matiu / Somes Island

Matiu / Somes Island is a roughly 23-hectare island in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, managed as a predator-free scientific and historic reserve. It combines natural values and visible 19th- and 20th-century heritage remains.

The island offers short walking tracks, coastal viewpoints with harbour and city vistas, breeding sites for native seabirds and open lawns used for guided tours and education programmes. Historic highlights include the stone quarantine station buildings and coastal World War II defences.

The island was long used as a quarantine and isolation site in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and later saw use during World War II; recent decades have focused on ecological restoration and pest eradication. It is managed by national conservation authorities with local community involvement.

Sited in the central basin of Wellington Harbour, the island lies about 2 km from Wellington city centre and is reached by frequent public ferries from central Wellington.

• Predator-free reserve: Managed as a predator-free scientific and historic reserve, with active restoration programmes for native birds and plants.
• Ferry access: Regular public ferry services link the island with central Wellington; the crossing takes only a few minutes and is the usual access route for visitors.

What to See #

• Quarantine station: A compact complex of stone and timber buildings left from 19th and early 20th century quarantine operations, with interpretive signs and restored structures near the main jetty.
• World War II defences: Concrete and earthwork gun emplacements and trenches dating to World War II, visible along the island's walking tracks and at several coastal viewpoints.
• Tracks and viewpoints: A short loop of walking tracks that crosses lawns, regenerating native bush and cliff-top viewpoints offering harbour and city views; routes vary but the main loop is suitable for most visitors.