Tuataras on Motuhie Island Auckland

Sixty Tuatara being released on to Motuhie Island is a tribute to the volunteers who have slogged away for decades to clean  up the small gem of the the Hauraki  Gulf.

For seven years there have been feral animals and rats on this island, however the result of this clean up is an island haven full of birdsong; a fine natures choir. Once famous as the military prison in World War One where Count Felix Von Luckner was imprisoned and escaped from

Photo and story from The New Zealand Herald, 26th March 2012

is now known as a natural paradise. Sadly there are little remains of the human habitation except for the surgeons house, some fences and a few graves.

30 minutes from Auckland and without a shop in sight Motuhie Island is a great place to come swim, picnic or chill out for a while It is one on my favorite places.