Motutapu Island Island

Address: Motutapu Island, Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, New Zealand

Website: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/auckland/places/motutapu-island/

Hours: Island open to visitors (day visits typical); check DOC for any restrictions

Admission: Free entry to the island (transport to the island by ferry is charged separately)

Motutapu Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf, adjacent to Rangitoto Island, off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand. It is notable for large-scale ecological restoration projects and for containing archaeological sites of past Māori settlement.

The island offers walking tracks, picnic areas and visible archaeological features such as middens and terracing where historic Māori occupation is recorded. It is managed for conservation and recreation, with efforts focused on restoring native vegetation and bird populations.

Māori settled Motutapu long before European arrival and used it for seasonal and permanent occupation; later colonial-era farming altered much of the vegetation before the modern restoration program. Today the island is managed cooperatively to protect natural and cultural values and to allow public access.

Motutapu lies in the Hauraki Gulf close to Rangitoto Island and is reached by public ferry services from Auckland, often with a short transfer via Rangitoto.

• Access: Ferries from Auckland and short water transfers via Rangitoto Island provide the most common public access routes.
• Conservation: Long-term ecological restoration has reintroduced native plants and birds and removed many mammalian pests across the island.

From central Auckland take the Fullers (or other Hauraki Gulf) ferry from the Auckland Ferry Terminal / Queens Wharf to Rangitoto and Motutapu islands - the crossing is typically about 25-35 minutes. Ferries that visit Rangitoto will put you ashore at the island wharf; from there it’s a short walk (5-15 minutes) onto the marked tracks that cross to Motutapu (the two islands are served by the same boat services and connected by walking tracks). Check the Fullers schedule for services that stop at Rangitoto/Motutapu.

• Take the earliest public ferry (via Rangitoto from Auckland) to Motutapu to maximise your day on the island and avoid the larger mid-day crowds that concentrate on Rangitoto and the main bays.
• Land at the main wharf/Islington Bay and start your walk from there - most marked DOC tracks radiate from the landing and that gives you the easiest access to the island's historic sites and coastal views.
• Many visitors stick to the popular bays; walk out to the quieter eastern and southern bays and the WWII/heritage sites (archaeological sites and farm restoration areas) to see features most day-trippers miss.