a travel guide entry

a travel guide entry
Matakana farmers market every Saturday?

Visitors coming soon  - want to show them the beautiful outdoors of New Zealand but they're city types not trampers. A one hour drive north of Auckland to Warkworth, Matakana, Leigh by the Sea & Goat Island Marine Reserve could be the answer to your dilemma.


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Goat Island  Marine Reserve is just North of Leigh which was the first marine reserve to be established in 1975. Here's a link to a doc map showing the boundaries of the reserve from Cape Rodney to Okakari Point including Goat Island . One of the most popular activities here is taking boat trips out to Goat Island & try some scuba diving in the warm waters around the island

There are operations providing Goat Island Dive  conveniently provide prices Mask, snorkel, fins & full length 3mm wetsuit $30. They also recommend taking an underwater camera which is a good/useful piece of advice.  

 Discover Goat Island $45 per hour includes wet suit snorkelling equipment hire

If you prefer the easy option of a gentle boat ride & comfortable viewing   the glassbottom boat 

may be more your style $20 per adult $ per child.

After all that sea air & exertion you'll no doubt have worked up a bit of an appetite & if your timing is right you could satisfy it with either pizzas at the very cool & groovy Leigh Sawmill Cafe or good old fashioned fish n chips at

Websites used
Warkworth http://www.warkworthnz.com/warkworth.php?page=mc_leigh 
Goat Island dive http://www.goatislanddive.co.nz/Goat_Island_Dive/Snorkel_Goat_Island_IDL=10_IDT=306_ID=1626_.html
Glass Bottom Boat http://www.glassbottomboat.co.nz/
Leigh by the Sea http://www.leighbythesea.co.nz/