Atawhai Reserve

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Walking tracks: There are short three walkways (each takes approximately 10-15 minutes).

The locals: Kereru, morepork, tui, grey warbler, white-faced heron, long-finned eel, harrier hawks, and pukeko.

Getting there: The reserve is situated on Lot 50, Church Bay Estate, Maiatia, Waiheke Island – it is accessible from Ocean View Road & Nick Johnstone Drive.

The guiding principle behind this revegetation project is described in its name—Atawhai Whenua, a kindness toward or caring for the land. As deforested, long-overgrazed and eroded hill country the area was typical of much of what the island (and indeed New Zealand) has suffered.

On the reserve there is a memorial sculpture of the late Don Chapple, who led and oversaw the restoration project, which has seen more than 40,000 plants planted on this badly eroded hillock and wetland. Each year Forest & Bird members add more than 4000 plants.

Atawhai Reserve is fortunate in that Waiheke Island is free from possums, weasels and wild ferrets. Bait stations are maintained on the 16-hectare reserve to control rats and mice.

This reserve has recently become part of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf Marine Park - this park protects natural wilderness areas on both land and sea.