Wildlife
Motuara Island
A predator-free bird sanctuary in the outer sound — saddleback, robin and kākāriki — with a lookout tower on its 128 m summit.
Photo: Tom Ackroyd / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
DOC-managed scenic reserve about 32 km from Picton, reached by scenic cruise, private boat or kayak. Rats were eradicated in 1992; the island is now a rearing site for rowi kiwi chicks, and where Cook proclaimed British sovereignty over the South Island in 1770.
At a glance
- Distance
- About 32 km from Picton, in outer Queen Charlotte Sound
- Cost
- Cruise or water-taxi fare
- Getting there
- By boat only — scenic cruise, water taxi, private boat or sea kayak
- Wildlife
- South Island saddleback / tīeke, South Island robin / toutouwai, yellow-crowned parakeet / kākāriki; used to rear rowi kiwi chicks
- Track
- A short lookout track from the jetty to the 128 m summit and its viewing tower
About Motuara Island
Motuara is the island in the outer sound that DOC turned into a bird sanctuary: rats were eradicated in 1992, and it is now home to saddleback, robin and yellow-crowned parakeet, and used as a crèche for rowi kiwi chicks before they are returned to the mainland. The birds are famously bold — robins will come to your feet on the track.
It also carries real history: Captain Cook proclaimed British sovereignty over the South Island from Motuara in January 1770, and a cairn on the island marks the visit. From the jetty a short track climbs to the 128 m summit, where a wooden viewing tower looks out over Ship Cove, Long Island and the mouth of the sound.
You can't get here without a boat. Cougar Line, Beachcomber Cruises and E-Ko Tours all run cruises that call at Motuara; kayak operators can get you there too on a longer trip.
Know before you go
- Keep to the track and check your bags for pests before landing — it is a predator-free island.
- Marine mammal rules apply on the way: stay at least 20 m from seals (DOC).
Photographs
Official information
Sources for this page
Location: OpenStreetMap contributors via Nominatim (Motuara Island; feature).
Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed on 5 Sep 2026.
Nearby
Straight-line distances from Motuara Island.
Related
Meretoto / Ship Cove
Cook's anchorage on all three voyages, New Zealand's first historic reserve, and the start of the Queen Charlotte Track.
Scenic and wildlife cruises
Out into Queen Charlotte Sound by boat — the mail run, Motuara Island, dolphins and seals.
Kaipūpū Sanctuary
A fenced, predator-controlled peninsula ten minutes from the foreshore by water taxi, with a 2.7 km loop track.