Tiritiri Matangi Island

Encounter the entertaining behaviour of the friendly and rare native birds on this pest-free island sanctuary.

On this island, just 30 kilometres from the centre of New Zealand's largest city, the lighthouse keeper and farm animals have been replaced by a community of rare native birds. Working with the Department of Conservation, volunteers eradicated all introduced pests from the island. Between 1984 and 1994, thousands more volunteers - many of them school children - came to plant around 300,000 native trees. Gradually, 11 species of threatened native birds have been released onto this restored island sanctuary, to join scores of more common varieties.

As you explore the island, native bellbirds perch and sing just a metre or two away. Once thought to be extinct, large flightless takahe meander right up to you like family pets. Tiny native stitchbirds, blissfully unaware of their perilously low numbers, flit from branch to branch along the edge of the tracks. It's a natural reminder of how behaviour changes when you remove unnatural fears and stresses from any community.

The romantic 1864 lighthouse and the old keeper's house mark the highest point on the island. This is a great place to pause for a snack while you soak up the view.

The well maintained tracks pass through forested areas and along wave-pounded cliffs to quiet sheltered beaches. Nesting boxes mark the homes of the little blue penguins that breed in the rushes at the top of the beach.

A modern fast ferry to Tiritiri Matangi leaves from downtown Auckland, calling in to Gulf Harbour marina (a half hour drive north) on the way. The visitor centre on the island provides tea and coffee only, so pack plenty of food. And bring a camera, because you'll seldom get this close to endangered birds in the wild.