New Zealand's first marine reserve, protecting a rich tapestry of coastal marine life near Leigh on the North Island.
Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve
Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve is a protected marine area on the North Island of New Zealand, covering 547 hectares along the coastline between Cape Rodney and Okakari Point, and extending roughly 800 metres offshore. Created in 1975, it was the first marine reserve established in New Zealand and remains one of the country's most visited marine protected areas. The reserve encompasses a striking variety of coastal environments, including rocky headlands, white sand surf beaches, sheltered mudflats, mangrove forests, and offshore waters around the small island of Te Hāwere-a-Maki, also known as Goat Island.
The reserve is widely recognised for the abundance and diversity of marine life found within its boundaries, a transformation that has occurred since fishing and the removal of marine life were prohibited. Before protection, decades of over-harvesting had left the seafloor dominated by sea urchins, sometimes called kina barrens, with depleted populations of predatory species such as rock lobster and snapper. After more than three decades of recovery, the reserve today supports thriving fish populations, kelp forests, sponge gardens, and a wide range of intertidal invertebrates, drawing snorkellers, divers, kayakers, and marine scientists from across the country.
Beyond its ecological importance, the reserve carries strong cultural significance. Te Hāwere-a-Maki is central to the identity and whakapapa of Ngāti Manuhiri, the local iwi, and the area has been important to Māori for centuries before it became a focus of European settlement, scientific research, and public recreation.
