Deservedly one of the top thing rated things to do in Auckland on TripAdvisor, Tiritiri Matangi is a beautiful island in the Hauraki Gulf, an hour from the CBD by ferry. It’s famous for birds, home to many rare and endangered native species, reintroduced to the pest free island.
Farmed for many years, over the past few decades volunteers have spent countless hours removing introduced plants, trees and animals, and replacing them with native species. Volunteers also run useful tours of the island which can be booked at the same time as the ferry.
My camera is great but doesn’t have much of a zoom so I didn’t take many photos of the wildlife. I was somewhat outclassed anyway by the American tourists with their massive camera lenses.
I returned six years later though with a better camera and took these photos. I’ve never seen so many native birds in one place, nor heard as much birdsong anywhere in New Zealand as on the day I visited in April 2021.
At the time of my original visit I was more interested in the lighthouse, which gave welcome lunchtime shade from the intense New Zealand summer sunshine.
After lunch I went exploring. The island isn’t huge but there are plenty of tracks to follow, and bays and beaches to visit. With some of the most beautiful bays in the Hauraki Gulf the island is justifiably popular with boaties.
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