Kawau Island calls itself a jewel in the Hauraki Gulf and it’s not hard to see why. Its turquoise waters lap against golden beaches, and inland there’s beautiful native bush to explore. It’s a fun day-trip from Auckland, or a haven for boaties passing by!
Where is Kawau Island?
Kawau Island is one of the many beautiful islands found in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf, which stretches out from Auckland north to Wellsford and south-east to the Coromandel Peninsula. Many visitors catch the ferry or a water-taxi from Sandspit, which is a 50 minute drive from the centre of Auckland. If you’re travelling the Gulf by boat, you can also moor up at the public wharves on the island.
What adventures can you have on Kawau?
So many! What you get up to will partly depend on whether you’re coming for the day by ferry, sailing past on your own boat, or staying on the island. Regardless of how you arrive, you’ll get to cruise the azure bays, and hopefully take a dip. Just watch out for the stingrays that sometimes hang out in the shallows!
Mansion House
If you’re coming as a day-tripper on the ferry, you’ll likely spend the majority of your time around the historic Mansion House. Originally built in 1845 (yes, that is old for NZ!) it was home to Sir George Grey, governor of New Zealand from 1845 – 1868. He greatly developed both the House and the area around it, including introducing wallabies to the island. I can just about remember coming to visit when I was five or six years old and seeing these huge (to me) marsupials loping around the lawns! Nowadays the wallabies are being removed from the Island – as non-native species, they cause a huge amount of damage to Kawau’s ecosystem, so many are sent back to Australia where they belong.
Instead of spotting wallabies, on your visit to Mansion House you can instead tour the historic House and relax at the café, swim at the beach or take a walk. There are short walks of 10-15 minutes, or longer walks that you can extend up to two hours, including visiting the old copper mine, dating from 1854. Most of the tracks are pretty easy and many wind along the coastline, giving more views of those gorgeous beaches! Check which of the tracks are open here.
If you have access (either on one of the public walking tracks, or by boat) I highly recommend you visit the Kawau Boating Club which has a bar with delicious food and drinks, and lovely shady seats. Well worth a visit for an hour or three!
The ferry is an activity in itself, as you’ll see a lot of the island just from cruising by. You can also jump on the historic Mail Run, which is the slow-paced option, perfect if you’d like to soak up more of Kawau from the sea.
Where to stay on Kawau
We stay at a school camp which is vacant during the holidays – there’s a family slot which is booked every year. It’s very hard to get into though, so more realistic options for visitors are the lodges and private accommodation available on the island. You can book through AirBnB (use my code to get NZ$50 off your first booking!) or other popular websites like Bookabach. Most accommodation is accessible from the ferry, which will drop you at the nearest wharf. Staying on the island is extraordinarily peaceful – there’s almost no cars or shops, so it can be just you, the birds and the sea!
Have you ever visited Kawau Island? What did you do there?
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