Matiu Somes Island

Matiu sits in the middle of Wellington Harbour and has had an unusually institutional history for an island of twenty-five hectares: a human quarantine station from 1868, an animal quarantine station until 1995, and an internment camp in both world wars holding people classified as enemy aliens - a history the island's signage covers directly rather than glossing. Since predators were removed it has become a sanctuary within sight of the city, holding tuatara, little blue penguins, kakariki, weta and giant weta in wooden hotels along the tracks. A loop of about an hour and a half takes in the lighthouse, the gun emplacements, the quarantine buildings and the summit. The practical charm is the access: it is a scheduled commuter ferry, twenty minutes from the city centre, so it needs no expedition planning. Bags are still checked for rodents, and there is no shop or cafe - carry food and water.

History

In the 18th century Ngāti Ira built two pā on the island, though limited resources meant no permanent settlement. It was declared a quarantine ground in 1868, and when the immigrant ship England arrived with smallpox in 1872 its passengers and crew were housed here; forty-five people are known to be buried on the island, most of them immigrants of the 1870s (Wikipedia, Matiu / Somes Island).

The landscape

• The quarantine buildings - the 1868 station and its later additions.
• The internment history - covered directly on the island's signage.
• Tuatara and weta - in the reserve, along the tracks.
• The harbour view - Wellington and the heads from the summit.

When to go

October to April. Check the ferry timetable - sailings are limited and the last boat back is firm. Penguins come ashore at dusk, after the last ferry.

Things to know

Bag checks apply before boarding. No shop, no cafe, no water on the island. Ferries are cancelled in southerly gales, which are common. Some buildings are closed to entry.

Nearby

Wellington waterfront is twenty minutes away; Days Bay and Eastbourne are on the same ferry route.

Key facts