Kawau Island Mansion House

Kawau was a copper mining island in the 1840s, and in 1862 George Grey, twice Governor of New Zealand, bought it and turned the mine manager's house into a substantial residence - Mansion House - which he filled with a library and art and surrounded with gardens planted from around the world. He also released a great many exotic animals and plants, in the Victorian acclimatisation spirit: wallabies from Australia, kookaburras, peacocks, monkeys and zebras among others. Most did not last, but several wallaby species did, and they are still there, browsing in the bush, along with the descendants of his plantings. That legacy is now a conservation problem as much as a curiosity. The house is restored and furnished to the 1870s and open to visitors; walking tracks lead to the old copper mine workings and to bays. Access is by ferry, including the historic mail run that calls at jetties round the island.

What you actually see

• Mansion House - restored and furnished to Grey's 1870s occupation.
• The wallabies - descendants of his introductions, still in the bush.
• The exotic gardens - his plantings from around the world.
• The copper mine - workings from the 1840s, on a walking track.

When to go

October to April. Ferries run daily; the mail run is the slower, more interesting crossing. Check the house's opening days before travelling.

Honest expectations

The house has limited opening hours and is ticketed. There is no shop on the island beyond a cafe near the house. Tracks are rough in places. Ferry timetables dictate the day.

Nearby

Sandspit and Warkworth are on the mainland; Tawharanui is south along the coast.