Cape Brett Hole in the Rock

Motukokako, Piercy Island, sits just off the tip of the Cape Brett peninsula, and the sea has cut a hole clean through it large enough for a tour boat to motor through - which is the trip almost every visitor to the Bay of Islands takes. Whether the boat actually goes through depends entirely on the swell and the skipper, and on plenty of days it circles instead, which the operators are usually upfront about when booking. The peninsula itself is a long fin of land with a lighthouse at the end, reached by the Cape Brett Track: about sixteen kilometres and eight hours each way over a switchback ridge, with a DOC hut at the lighthouse and part of the route crossing Maori land for which a separate access fee is paid. Dolphins are common in the bay on the boat trips; swimming with them is no longer permitted, a change made to reduce pressure on the local population.

What you actually see

• The arch - the hole through Motukokako, passed through or circled.
• The Cape Brett lighthouse - at the tip of the peninsula.
• The bay islands - the run out past dozens of them.
• Dolphins - common on the trip, though swimming with them is banned.

When to go

November to April. Whether the boat passes through the hole depends on swell - ask the operator on the day. The track is a serious two-day walk, best in settled weather.

Honest expectations

Passing through the arch is never guaranteed. The Cape Brett Track is genuinely hard - eight hours each way, steep and exposed, with a hut that must be booked and a separate land access fee. Dolphin swimming is prohibited.

Nearby

Paihia, Russell and Urupukapuka Island are in the bay; Waitangi is at Paihia.