Forty-one legally gazetted marine reserves protect roughly 4.4 million hectares of New Zealand sea — almost all of it offshore in the subantarctic, the Kermadecs and Fiordland, with a much smaller fraction in the heavily-fished mainland coastal zone. This is an interactive map of every one of them, plus the no-take sites currently proposed under the Hauraki Gulf’s Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari plan.
Click any reserve for details, the boundary on a focused map, and an honest answer to the family question — if I take the kids to this reserve, will they actually see fish? For the wider science context see our companion piece on the science of marine reserve spillover.
Existing reserves
41
Total no-take area
4,310,547 ha
Sea Change proposals
5
Top family snorkel sites
3
Existing
Proposed
Pick a reserve from the list, or click one on the map, to see whether it’s worth a family trip — and the science behind it.
Sources. Reserve boundaries from OpenStreetMap (gazette-derived, contributor-maintained), simplified for display. Cross-checked against Department of Conservation listings. Family fish-spotting scores reflect Newswire’s assessment of how reliably visitors actually see fish at each reserve, weighing fish density, water clarity, snorkellable depth and access. They are practical visitor advice, not scientific monitoring data — for biomass-ratio research see our spillover piece. Proposed-site locations from the Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari plan (2017), boundaries still under consultation. Tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO.
Every NZ marine reserve, oldest to newest
A chronological tour of the network, from Goat Island in 1975 through Tāwharanui and the 2014 expansion. Click any reserve in the map above to see boundaries; this list gives you the story of each one.
The pioneers (1975-1989)
New Zealand’s first generation of marine reserves came from individual scientists and small communities pushing for legal protection. There were two of them, both established by act of Parliament after long campaigns.
-
1975Goat Island Marine Reserve (Cape Rodney–Okakari Point)Goat Island, north of Auckland. New Zealand’s first marine reserve, established 1975 by act of Parliament after a campaign led by Auckland University marine scientists Bill Ballantine and Val Chapman, and extended in 2024 with additional offshore and southern protection. The reserve became the country’s most-studied patch of ocean: the foundational research on snapper recovery, the trophic cascade back to kelp forest, and the spillover gradient at reserve boundaries was all done here. Forty years of monitoring shows snapper biomass inside the reserve at roughly fourteen times that of nearby fished water. For families it remains the most accessible serious snorkelling in the country — drive to the beach, wade in, big fish swim around your knees.
-
1981Poor Knights Islands Marine ReserveTwenty-three kilometres east of Tutukaka, the Poor Knights are subtropical reef islands seasonally washed by the East Auckland Current. Originally protected in 1981 with partial fishing rules and upgraded to full no-take in 1998, the change produced a documented dramatic recovery of large fish. Jacques Cousteau placed it in his world top-ten dive sites. Access is by commercial boat from Tutukaka — Dive! Tutukaka and others run day trips from October to May. The water is clear, the volcanic arches and caves are extraordinary, and the snorkelling at Northern Arch over deep water is some of the best in the South Pacific.
The first wave (1990-1999)
The 1990s brought a rapid expansion as marine science consolidated the case for no-take protection. The Marine Reserves Act 1971 had been on the books for two decades; this is when it started being actively used.
-
1990Kermadec Islands Marine ReserveThe Kermadec Islands marine reserve covers a large area around Raoul Island and the volcanic chain extending north. At 748,000 hectares this is one of the largest reserves in NZ, but it sits 1000 km north-east of mainland New Zealand and direct human pressure on the system was always low. Access is essentially limited to research voyages, naval visits, and the very occasional yacht expedition. The ecology is tropical-temperate transition — a mix of NZ and Pacific species — and the volcanic geology adds hydrothermal vent habitats found almost nowhere else in the country’s territorial waters.
-
1992Kapiti Marine ReserveTwo protection zones around Kapiti Island, west of Paraparaumu, in Cook Strait. Established 1992 as part of the early-1990s wave of marine reserve creation. The fish community here is cool-temperate — blue cod, butterfish, banded wrasse — rather than the upper-North-Island snapper-dominated assemblage. Recovery has been less dramatic than at upper-NI sites because Kapiti was never as heavily fished as Goat Island and the cooler water means slower fish growth. Day trip to Kapiti Island by official ferry, or kayak across in calm conditions.
-
1992Te Whanganui-o-Hei (Cathedral Cove) Marine ReserveThe famous Coromandel arches and the surrounding reef. Established 1992 and extended offshore in 2024. Walk in via the popular track from Hahei or arrive by water taxi. The reserve protects the open-coast reef ecosystem of the eastern Coromandel and is one of the most-visited reserves in the country — you’ll meet hundreds of other people in summer. Snorkelling at Mares Leg or Stingray Bay produces reliable fish encounters, and the geological setting is genuinely spectacular. October to April is the season; outside that the cooler water and bigger swells make it less rewarding.
-
1992Tuhua (Mayor Island) Marine ReserveMayor Island in the Bay of Plenty is a dormant volcano with reef and soft-bottom habitats around it. The marine reserve covers part of the seaward face. Co-managed with Te Whānau a Tauwhao iwi, who are tangata whenua of the island. Day trips run out of Tauranga in summer. The diving is good when conditions allow — the island’s shape and exposure mean access is weather-dependent. Volcanic features under water include obsidian boulders and old lava flows.
-
1993Long Island – Kokomohua Marine ReserveSheltered Queen Charlotte Sound water around Long Island. Charter trips and kayak access from Picton. The fish community is cool-water — blue cod, leatherjacket, spotty — and the reserve is gentle, family-friendly water if you can get a calm day. Like other Marlborough Sounds reserves it’s slowly recovering from a long history of recreational and commercial pressure in surrounding water.
-
1993Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine ReserveMilford Sound. The reserve protects the inner fiord, where a unique ’emergence’ phenomenon occurs — the dark surface freshwater layer (from heavy rainfall and cliffs) lets deep-water species live at much shallower depths than they would elsewhere. Black coral colonies that normally need 50-metre depth grow at 10 metres. The Milford Sound underwater observatory makes this accessible to non-divers, and several commercial dive operators run trips year-round. The atmosphere is cathedral-like — dark, deep, slow-moving.
-
1993Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine ReserveThe Gut, a tidal narrows in Doubtful Sound. The smallest of the Fiordland reserves but one of the most ecologically interesting: strong currents through the narrows support an extraordinary density of filter-feeding invertebrates — sea pens, anemones, sponges. Charter dive trips only; not a casual snorkel. Often quoted by NZ divers as one of the strangest underwater landscapes in the country.
-
1993Tonga Island Marine ReserveAbel Tasman National Park’s coastal reserve. Kayak in via the popular tourist kayaking trips, or walk the coast track and snorkel from beaches. The water is sheltered and warmer than open Cook Strait, the reserve has had a documented recovery of fish biomass since closure in 1993, and the surrounding national park makes this one of the most family-friendly serious snorkelling experiences in the South Island. You’ll often see fur seal pups.
-
1994Westhaven (Te Tai Tapu) Marine ReserveTe Tai Tapu, in the far northwest of the South Island. A large estuary reserve protecting wading bird habitat, mudflats and adjacent sheltered coast. The ecology is complex and important; the visitor experience is more about the landscape and birdlife than fish-spotting. Get there via the Kahurangi National Park access points.
-
1995Long Bay-Ōkura Marine ReserveCoastal-margin reserve from Granny’s Bay (north of the Long Bay Regional Park beach) to the Ōkura River mouth. Established 1995 as a metropolitan-Auckland ecological reserve. Long Bay itself is a popular family swimming beach; the marine reserve protects the adjacent estuary, mangrove zone and shallow reef. Visibility is often limited by sediment runoff from the catchment. Don’t come expecting the Goat Island experience — this reserve protects different ecosystem types where the dramatic snapper-density signal is naturally smaller.
-
1995Motu Manawa-Pollen Island Marine ReservePollen Island, in the upper Waitemata Harbour. An estuarine reserve protecting mangrove forest, mudflats and tidal channels in central Auckland’s harbour. Important habitat for shorebirds and juvenile fish but not a fish-spotting destination — kayak access only and the water is opaque. Comes alive at low tide for crab, mudfish and shorebird viewing.
-
1997Te Angiangi Marine ReserveA small reserve at Aramoana on the central Hawke’s Bay coast, between Pōrangahau and Cape Turnagain. Walk-in snorkelling from the beach when conditions allow. Fish density is decent but the central east coast is exposed and visit-windows are narrow.
-
1999Pōhatu Marine ReserveBanks Peninsula’s southern coast. Small reserve, primarily of value for shorebird habitat protection alongside the marine values. Quiet, scenic, not a major snorkelling destination.
-
1999Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine ReserveNorth of Gisborne, accessible from Pouawa Beach. Co-managed in partnership with Ngāti Konohi — one of the early examples of formal iwi co-management in the NZ marine reserve system. The east coast warmth makes this one of the more snorkel-friendly mid-NI east-coast reserves in summer.
The Fiordland network and east coast (2000-2009)
The 2000s saw the establishment of the Fiordland fiord-by-fiord network under specific Fiordland legislation, plus a series of east-coast and Bay of Plenty additions. Several of these reserves were the result of decade-long iwi-Crown negotiation.
-
2003Auckland Islands – Motu Maha Marine ReserveAround the Auckland Islands group, 400 km south of Stewart Island. A subantarctic ecosystem dominated by seabirds, sea lions, and whales. Established 2003. The reserve protects breeding habitat for southern royal albatross, yellow-eyed penguin and NZ sea lion among others. Access is by occasional expedition cruise (Heritage Expeditions and similar). The marine ecosystem is dramatic but the visitor experience is wildlife-focused, not snorkel-focused.
-
2004Ulva Island – Te Wharawhara Marine ReserveTe Wharawhara — the marine reserve in Paterson Inlet around Ulva Island, off Stewart Island. Established 2004. Sheltered cool-water habitat with good biodiversity for the southern latitudes. Take the regular ferry from Halfmoon Bay; Ulva Island itself is a bird sanctuary that’s worth the trip on its own. The marine reserve is the underwater complement.
-
2005Hawea (Clio Rocks) Marine ReserveClio Rocks area near Breaksea Sound. Outer-coast Fiordland reserve, more exposed than the inner-arm reserves and with a different fish community as a result. Charter expedition access.
-
2005Kahukura (Gold Arm) Marine ReserveGold Arm, Charles Sound. Another 2005 inner-fiord reserve. The Fiordland network was designed to capture representative samples of the different fiord types — inner-arm freshwater-influenced versus outer-fiord exposed coast — and Kahukura represents the inner-arm category.
-
2005Kutu Parera (Gaer Arm) Marine ReserveGaer Arm, Bradshaw Sound. Another 2005 inner-fiord reserve. Sheltered, dark, freshwater-influenced — typical of the inner Fiordland system. Expedition access only.
-
2005Moana Uta (Wet Jacket Arm) Marine ReserveWet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound. One of the network of inner-Fiordland reserves established 2005 after a long consultation process under the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act. Inner-fiord ecosystem with high freshwater input and the characteristic dark surface layer. Charter expedition access only.
-
2005Taumoana (Five Finger Peninsula) Marine ReserveFive Finger Peninsula, Dusky Sound. Outer-fiord reserve protecting a section of exposed coast. One of the larger Fiordland reserves at 1,472 hectares. Charter expedition access; not casually visited.
-
2005Te Hapua (Sutherland Sound) Marine ReserveSutherland Sound. Inner-fiord reserve at the northern end of the Fiordland network. Like the others, expedition-grade access through specialist operators.
-
2005Te Matuku Marine ReserveSheltered southern Waiheke Island reserve. Established 2005, one of the few protections in the southern Hauraki Gulf. Includes mangrove fringes and shallow muddy coast — important nursery habitat but limited fish-spotting density. A quiet alternative to Goat Island when you’re already on Waiheke.
-
2005Te Tapuwae o Hua (Long Sound) Marine ReserveLong Sound. Inner-fiord reserve protecting one of the longest fiord arms. Cathedral-quiet water, dark surface layer, deep-water species at shallow depths. Expedition access only.
-
2006Horoirangi Marine ReserveNorth of Nelson, on the Tasman Bay coast. Established 2006. Drive in, snorkel the rocky reef edges. The recovery time series is still building and this is one of the South Island reserves where systematic monitoring has been steady but not comparable to Goat Island for length.
-
2006Parininihi Marine ReserveTaranaki west coast reserve protecting reef structure off the Parininihi cliffs and the adjacent sandy seabed. The only marine reserve on the central west coast of the North Island. Drive to the cliff lookout, snorkel on the rare flat-calm days. The reserve is part of the Taranaki coastal landscape that’s still relatively rarely visited by recreational snorkellers from elsewhere in NZ.
-
2006Whangārei Harbour Marine ReserveTwo zones inside Whangārei Harbour — Reotahi at the entrance (snorkel-accessible from shore on calm days) and Motukaroro Island, accessible by kayak or boat. Established 2006. Sheltered inner-harbour habitat with documented recovery of scallop and shellfish populations alongside the more visible reef-fish recovery.
-
2007Te Paepae o Aotea (Volkner Rocks) Marine ReserveVolkner Rocks, off Whakatāne in the Bay of Plenty. The reserve sits adjacent to Whakaari/White Island, the active volcano whose 2019 eruption killed 22 people. Visiting access is currently constrained by ongoing volcanic alert levels. When open, the underwater scenery is dramatic — volcanic rock structures, hydrothermal input, mixed reef and pelagic fish. Established 2007.
-
2008Tapuae Marine ReserveSouth Taranaki coast reserve around the Sugar Loaf Islands area. Drive in, snorkel from accessible beach access points on calm days. Reef and rocky shore ecosystem with the cool-temperate west-coast NI fish community.
-
2008Taputeranga Marine ReserveWellington’s south coast, from Princess Bay through to Sirens Rocks. Established 2008 after a long campaign. Cool-temperate reef ecosystem — a different fish community from the north (banded wrasse, butterfish, blue cod, occasional leatherjacket) and a different snorkelling experience in cooler water. Locals’ favourite, exposed in southerlies.
Tāwharanui upgrade and the 2014 expansion (2010 onwards)
Tāwharanui was upgraded to full no-take protection in 2011, completing a 30-year process. The 2014 wave added the subantarctic islands plus several mainland sites. In 2024 Goat Island and Cathedral Cove both received offshore extensions, the first new mainland marine protection of this decade.
-
2011Tāwharanui Marine ReserveOriginally established as a marine park in 1981 with partial fishing protection, and upgraded to full no-take in 2011 after years of campaigning by local marine scientists and the Auckland Regional Council. Because pre-park-establishment surveys exist (rare for NZ reserves), Tāwharanui has been the cleaner experimental test case for the Leigh findings on snapper and kelp recovery. Drive in to the Tāwharanui Regional Park, walk down to Anchor Bay, snorkel out from the rocky points either end. Fewer crowds than Goat Island, similar fish.
-
2014Akaroa Marine ReserveInside Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula. Established 2014. A sheltered harbour reserve — the harbour itself is also famous for its endemic Hector’s dolphin population, though that’s protected through different mechanisms. Drive in via Akaroa township; the reserve covers a section of harbour shoreline with limited fish-viewing density.
-
2014Hautai Marine ReserveSmaller companion reserve on the Kahurangi west coast. Same context as Kahurangi: wild, beautiful, hard to get to, weather-dependent. For serious trampers and expedition kayakers.
-
2014Hikurangi Marine ReserveMahia Peninsula offshore, central east coast North Island. Twelve thousand hectares covering reef and soft-bottom habitats. Established 2014 after a long consultation. Co-management with Rongomaiwahine. Mostly inaccessible casually — needs a local boat — but the fishery context is significant: Mahia is one of the most productive snapper grounds on the east coast.
-
2014Kahurangi Marine ReserveKahurangi National Park’s wild west coast. Established 2014 as part of a wave of new South Island reserves. Heaphy Track access; the coast here is genuinely remote. Big swell, big country. Visit when you’re already in Kahurangi for tramping; not a stand-alone day trip.
-
2014Moutere Hauriri / Bounty Islands Marine ReserveBounty Islands group, eastern subantarctic. Tiny rocky islets supporting enormous seabird populations. Established 2014. Almost no human visitation; the reserve protects habitat for what’s effectively the largest concentration of erect-crested penguins in the world.
-
2014Moutere Ihupuku / Campbell Island Marine ReserveCampbell Island reserve, 600 km south of mainland New Zealand. Subantarctic ecosystem — yellow-eyed penguins, southern right whales, royal albatross. Established 2014. Expedition cruise territory; the marine reserve complements the subantarctic islands World Heritage status of the wider area.
-
2014Moutere Mahue / Antipodes Island Marine ReserveAntipodes Islands reserve, far southeast of mainland NZ. Vast subantarctic seabird and marine mammal habitat. Expedition trips run irregularly out of Bluff and Invercargill.
-
2014Taipari Roa (Elizabeth Island) Marine ReserveElizabeth Island, west of Farewell Spit. Established 2014. Private boat access or expedition only — this is a wilderness reserve protecting habitat at the very northwestern tip of the South Island.