Kawau Island
Kawau Island is a scenic island 50km north of Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf. The island includes plenty of sandy beaches, walking trails and wallaby-spotting!
Kawau Island was named after the birds who call this island home. The island is the former residence of Sir George Grey, who built the Mansion House here in the 1860s. Visitors can wander around this magnificent building and get a very real sense of Victorian island life.
Take a tea break at the Mansion House tearooms (summer only) and imagine being chatelaine of this nature-rich estate. Grey was a famous animal lover, and introduced many wild and wonderful creatures to Kawau. See if you can spot the wallabies and peacocks roaming the landscape. A former centre for copper mining, you can still see the relics of the old mines and miners' settlements, dotted around the island, including the smelting house at Bon Accord and the engine house at Mine Point.
A two hour round trip walk will show you all the sights. If you'd rather just chill out, there are a plethora of sheltered, sandy beaches, upon which you can while away the day.
There are several private holiday homes to rent on the island, which also boasts around 70 permanent residents. Boats can moor safely in North Cove and Bon Accord Harbour, where there is also a shop, phone and fuel stop. Alternatively, take one of the regular passenger boats from Sandspit, near Warkworth.
How To Get To There:
Boats run regularly from Sandspit near Warkworth. From Auckland, take the SH-1 north, all the way to Warkworth (56km), then go right onto Sandspit Road, to the town and boat harbour.
