Tiritiri Matangi is an island sanctuary located some 4km west of the tip of the Whangaparaoa peninsula. As an open sanctuary, it’s easily accessible to the public either by private boat or ferry. Apart from being a beautiful island in itself with stunning scenery, it is also home to a variety of re-introduced native birds, a few of which are endangered (some can’t be seen on the mainland any more). The island was a farm for most of the 20th century but in the last 30 years it has been largely restored to its former natural glory through massive replanting efforts that have seen most of the island reforested, with some grassland being left for species like the Takahe. Guided walks are offered by the volunteers working on the island and while this means that the walk proceeds at a slower pace, the commentary they offer is really interesting; by the end of the walk you’ll be quite knowledgeable in the island and its bird life.
Fortunately, it was a beautiful day, and while I’ll leave the bird photography to the experts, the island itself offered plenty of sights worthy of capturing.
There are many walking tracks on the island and many of them offer wonderful views of the coast.
I was amazed how clear (and calm) the water was
The central meeting point of the island is the lighthouse which is surrounded by the volunteers’ lodgings, a gift shop and a few grazing Takahe.
And finally, a view of the island from the ferry just before departure. There is a railway on the wharf with a cart onto which all the gear from the ferry is placed – I thought that was pretty cool.
All in all, it was a great day – highly recommended. The panoramas were created using Hugin, an open source image stitcher (also highly recommended 
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