Motuihe Island
Motuihe Island is a conservation island in Waitemata Harbour, 30 mins ferry crossing from downtown Auckland. A former POW camp and quarantine station, 这个岛现在拥有海滩, forests, 稀有的鸟类和美妙的散步.
Motuihe Island sits just 16km from the Auckland mainland, so it's a very handy day destination for those who love to get back to nature. As part of a larger conservation project, new species of birds and plants are being introduced here all the time, and the island is also pest and rat-free.
Wander the walkways and look out for oystercatchers, kakariki (parakeets), saddlebacks and lizards. Or find one of the beautiful beaches and while away a few hours just watching the waves lap on the shore. There's a fantastic picnic area on the island, 设有烧烤设施, 还换了棚屋和厕所.
在19世纪， Motuihe Island was used as an isolation station for those with deadly scarlet fever. Later, during World War I, the island became a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers. One of them, 费利克斯·冯·卢克纳上尉, was famous for staging numerous escape attempts, his final one being foiled just as the Great War ended. Wander the island and see if you can guess which of Motuihe's bays Captain von Luckner favoured for his attempted swims to freedom.
Between 1941-63, the island was used as a naval cadet training base, 但如果你是一个真正的历史爱好者, then take advantage of the guided tours around the Heritage Area, where you can learn all about the island's European and Maori history.
如何到达那里:
Ferries run from Piers 2 and 4 in from the ferry terminal on Quay Street in downtown Auckland on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the summer months.
