Goat Island Marine Reserve

Cape Rodney-Okakari Point, universally called Goat Island, was established in 1975 as the first marine reserve in the country, after a long campaign by scientists at the University of Auckland's marine laboratory next door. It is a small area - about five square kilometres - and what half a century of complete protection did to it is the point: snapper, which are heavily fished everywhere else, grow large here and are unafraid, so they approach snorkellers directly. Blue maomao school in the shallows, crayfish sit under ledges, and the kelp forest recovered as the snapper and crayfish ate down the kina that had stripped it, a sequence marine ecologists cite worldwide. The water is entered straight off a sheltered beach. Nothing may be taken - no fishing, no shellfish, no rocks. Visibility is best in settled weather; after a storm it can be poor for days.

What you actually see

• The unafraid snapper - large fish that approach rather than flee.
• The kelp forest - recovered after the urchins were eaten back.
• The beach entry - snorkelling straight off the sand.
• Blue maomao - schooling in the shallows.

When to go

December to April, when the water is warmest and calmest. Check conditions - swell and rain ruin visibility for days. Weekends in summer are crowded and parking fills.

Honest expectations

The water is cold enough that a wetsuit is sensible even in February; hire is available. Nothing may be removed, including shells. Facilities are basic and the car park is small.

Nearby

Tawharanui is south along the coast; Matakana village and its market are inland.