Moturua Island Scenic Reserve

Moturua Island is a scenic reserve with rapidly regenerating native forest. The dominant vegetation is manuka and kanuka which creates an ideal nursery for young shrubs and tree ferns. Young Pohutukawa thrive along the coastal fringe.

The island has had a long association with humans from the earliest Polynesian settlers through to the early European explorers such as Cook and du Fresne. Six recorded pa sites on Moturua (constructed by Maori prior to European arrival) and more recently a Mine Control Station built during the Second World War are features of the Island.