Motutapu is an island sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf, a 30-minute ferry trip from Auckland's waterfront. It is a Department of Conservation recreation reserve of 1,509 hectares. Volunteers have planted over 100 hectares with 450,000 native trees, and the island was declared free of mammalian pests in 2011. It is home to a breeding population of translocated kiwi and takahē, and its birds and lizards are recovering. Its archaeology includes one of the earliest Māori settlements in Auckland, with more than 300 recorded sites.
Visitors reach the island by ferry, and the website asks people to book ahead. Motutapu sits beside Rangitoto, the newest of the gulf islands, and looks out towards the Coromandel. Our pick in Auckland for a day of native forest and island history.