You can enjoy Tiritiri Matangi Island walks on Tiritiri Matangi Island.

Ensure you follow the rules and conditions of this pest free island. Visiting pest free islands

Tiritiri Matangi is home to a variety of seabirds including several petrel species and little blue penguins/kororā. Seabird waste is important to the marine ecosystem and feeds the smallest zooplankton and phytoplankton which in turn feeds larger marine species.

This protected area of ocean is home to a broad range of living organisms. From microscopic planktons to horse mussel beds, jewel anemone to rhodolith (coral-like algae). The sandstone shoreline leads to rocky reefs that fringe the coast and in deeper areas you’ll find kelp, sponges and reef fish.

Reef fish include:

• snapper/tāmure
• John dory/kuparu
• red gurnard/kumu-kumu
• sand flounder/pātiki
• eagle rays/whai keo
• short tail rays/whai.

Open ocean species include:

• kahawai
• kingfish/haku
• trevally/araara
• Jack mackerel/hautere
• various shark species/mangō

Prevent pests from spreading

Minimise the spread of pests on land and in water by thoroughly checking and cleaning your boat and gear. Keep your favourite spots pest-free for future generations by following these guidelines:

• clean your hull out of the water before you leave, including the propeller and anchor - see guidelines for hull cleaning
• clean all recreational and boating gear
• if leaving Auckland, check the marine pests website for biodiversity rules for other regions.

Check the marine pests website for more marine biosecurity information.

The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park/Tīkapa Moana/Te Moananui-ā-Toi has a rich history of human settlement. It includes the earliest places settled by Māori.

The area has supported the physical and spiritual wellbeing of mana whenua for centuries. Mana whenua use tikanga/customs that care for and protect the environment when collecting kaimoana/seafood. Mana whenua is the iwi or hapū that has customary authority in an area.

Tiritiri Matangi translates from te reo to ‘tossed by the wind’. According to Māori lore, the island is thought to be the float of an ancestral fishing net.  

Iwi and hapū with significant connections to Tiritiri Matangi include the Kawerau people who occupied the island from as early as 1380 until the 1820s, and again briefly in the 1830s-50s. Ngāti Pāoa also occupied the island and built a second, smaller pā known as Papakura. This was towards the northern end of the island. Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and the Marutuahu iwi also have ancestral links with Tiritiri Matangi.

Archaeological excavations during the construction of the wharf showed that Māori occupied the island by the 14th century. They caught marine mammals, coastal birds, sharks and rays. By the beginning of the 19th century the catching and drying of sharks had become an important seasonal activity in the waters north of Tiritiri Matangi.

At the top of the island is the Hauraki Gulf’s oldest lighthouse. Erected in 1864 it is still operational today. There is also a small Maritime Museum.

Tiritiri Matangi is one of New Zealand’s best-loved and most accessible wildlife sanctuaries. Over half a century of determined conservation work has transformed the farmland into an open scientific sanctuary.

Protection areas

These protection areas began in 2025. They were initiated from the Government response to the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan. Sea Change was developed collaboratively by tangata whenua, environmental groups, and the fishing, aquaculture and agriculture sectors of the Hauraki Gulf between 2013 to 2017.