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The south loop on Rotoroa Island is an amazing walk on an "island of restoration".
You can reach Rotoroa Island by private boat, or by taking a ferry from downtown Auckland. This path is signposted on the island as the Southern Loop Track. The island is predator free, so all guests need to follow the island's biosecurity measures
Rotoroa Island is owned by the Salvation Army and was historically used as a centre for recovering alcoholics. It is now an open sanctuary nature reserve, featuring a range of re-introduced birds, including kiwi, takahē, pāteke / brown teal, weka and saddleback.
There is a $5 landing fee which supports the island's restoration programme. This fee is included in the ferry ticket if that's is how you arrive. Overnight accommodation is available on the island. There is an informative visitor centre with interpretive displays about the history of the place.
Walking the island can be accomplished in a day trip, with the ferry arriving in the morning and leaving in the late afternoon.
The south loop starts at the Exhibition Centre near the arrival wharf and takes about an hour. Walkers on this track will experience the area with the most intensive planting. The track passes a pond which is home to the rare pāteke / brown teal.
You will be rewarded with wonderful views from lookouts on the island across to the Coromandel, over the Ruthe Passage, and across the Waiheke Channel, towards Waiheke Island. The Men's Beach, on the east side of the island, offers safe swimming.
Check out the Rotoroa Island website for more information on visiting the island.
