Mana Island is a low, flat-topped island lying three kilometres off the coast at Plimmerton, used since the 1990s as a predator-free wildlife sanctuary by the Department of Conservation. After pest eradication, the island was replanted with native bush and seeded with translocated populations of rare species — including takahe, Cook Strait giant weta, and Wellington tree weta.
Public access is restricted but possible: guided trips run a few times a year by Friends of Mana Island, and private boat operators from Mana Marina can drop visitors at the wharf on day visits with a permit. The cliffs on the western side are spectacular. Best seen from the mainland at Plimmerton if you can't make it across.