Mokohinau Islands

The Mokohinau Islands are a small group of islands that lie off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island. The islands are 21km northwest of Great Barrier Island and approximately 52km east of Bream Head. Most of them are managed by the Department of Conservation as nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Landing is not allowed without a permit, with the exception of Burgess Island, much of which is managed as a scenic reserve by the Department of Conservation. The remainder of Burgess Island is Crown Land and is administered by the Ministry of Transport.The islands are volcanic stacks, sitting at the edge of the continental shelf. Nowadays free of mammalian pests again, the islands are being left to regenerate naturally, and are the home to a number of New Zealands smallest endangered species, such as the Mokohinau skink, the robust skink and the Mokohinau stag beetle as well as a number of endangered plant species.Historically, the islands were often visited seasonally by Maori for muttonbirding, harvesting the chicks of petrels for food and oil. Today, the main attractions for the rare tourists are the very clear waters teeming with wildlife.