The Islands of Our Escape
Established in 1967 to preserve some 47 islands, it was the first maritime park in New Zealand. One of the park's main aims is to retain many of the islands in their natural state, protecting the unspoiled and often rare vegetation and providing a haven for the myriad of animal and bird life which lives and breeds on them.
A paradise of scenic contrasts, the Park includes islands, headlands and coastline scattered over 13, 600 square kilometres of Pacific Ocean, ranging from the small outlying Cuvier Island in the east to the well loved Rangitoto Island extinct volcano towering above the inner gulf waters.
The Hauraki Gulf is part of the Pacific Ocean, which it joins to the north and east. It is largely protected from the Pacific by Great Barrier Island and Hauturu/Little Barrier Island to the north, and by the 80-kilometre-long Coromandel Peninsula to the east. The gulf is thus well-protected against all but northern winds. Hauraki is Māori for North Wind.
Three large channels join the gulf to the Pacific. Colville Channel lies between the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier, Cradock Channel lies between the two islands, and Jellicoe Channel lies between Little Barrier and the North Auckland Peninsula. To the north of Auckland several peninsulas jut into the gulf, notably the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Tiritiri Matangi Island is near the end of this peninsula. Further north, Kawau Island nestles under the Tawharanui Peninsula.
Numerous beaches dot the shores of the gulf, many of them well-known for swimming and surfing.
Islands
In the west of the gulf lie a string of islands guarding the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour, one of Auckland's two harbours. These include Ponui Island, Waiheke Island, Tiritiri Matangi and the iconic dome of Rangitoto Island (a dormant volcano), which is connected to the much older Motutapu Island by a causeway. The islands are separated from the mainland by the Tamaki Strait and Rangitoto Channel.
Other islands in the gulf include Browns Island, Motuihe Island, Pakihi Island, Pakatoa Island, Rakino Island, and Rotoroa Island in the inner gulf, around Waiheke and Rangitoto; Motukawao Islands and Whanganui Island in the lee of the Coromandel Peninsula; and Channel Island in the outer gulf.
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