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Located within Wellington’s harbor, Matiu/Somes Island originally used to serve a lot of purposes down the history, from keeping the enemy at bay during both World Wars to acting as a quarantine station for the animals.
The island once used to be jam-packed with farmland, but it all got changed over the years, however, it shall be noted that since 1982, the ‘Forest & Bird’ members have been constantly restoring the island. Various native species such as ngaio, totara, kahikatea, rata and harakeke etc have been observed on a very large scale.
Besides the native plant species, the present Matiu/Somes is also home to rare native birds like kakariki, a small population of little blue penguins, and other native species namely tuatara, geckos and giant weta. If you want to explore the Island, you can easily do so via the easy walking tracks that surround the Island.
Situated in the middle of Wellington’s stunning harbor, as stated before besides being an enemy alien internment camp, it has the caliber to surprise you with venues like spa sites. And since Māori people have been the inhabitants of this island for generations now, there is certainly much to explore.