If you’re a bird nerd, stop reading and book your Kapiti Island day trip now. It’s worth it!
For those who aren’t massive bird nerds but are considering a day trip to Kapiti Island, this post will help. I’ll let you know about my experience visiting Rangatira which you can do with Kapiti Island Nature Tours.
At the end of the post, you’ll know if a day trip to Kapiti Island is worth it. In short, it’s one of the best things to do on the Kapiti Coast.
The view looking north from the top of the platform at the summit.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Details About Visiting Kapiti Island
2. Kapiti Island Map
3. How To Get There
4. Kapiti Island Trip Report
5. What I Liked
1. KAPITI ISLAND DETAILS & FAQ
It’s not going to take you long to figure out I was a big fan of this trip. From the moment of arriving at the Kapiti Boating Club, you can’t help but feel you’re in good hands. Even though you’re ‘on your own’ on the island, I still felt looked after the whole time.
It’s a delicate balance between independence and being helpful that the Kapiti Island Nature team have got just right. And the bird action on the island is no joke! You won’t see your hopes and dreams washed away by empty promises of potential birdlife sightings.
Which trip type did I take?
Rangatira Day Trip (5 hours) departing at 10:30 am.
What walking trails did I walk?
Trig (up), Wilkinson (down), and some of the Rangatira Loop.
How hard is the trig track?
Easy-medium (on a dry day).
What is the elevation gain of the trig track?
Total incline on my Strava was 505 metres. But given the Trig Track summit is at 521 metres above sea level, this doesn’t make much to me. It’s no more than 600 metres total with the little up and downs on the Wilkinson Track.
Are there any Kapiti Island discounts available?
From time to time are available on BookMe.co.nz.
What birds might you see?
Well, I saw the following:
Bellbird, wood pigeon, fantail, red-crowned parakeet, miromiro, North Island robin, shag (not sure of the type), tui, whitehead, weka, saddleback, stitchbird, silvereye (that’s what I saw for sure at least) + one eagle ray. There’s plenty more I missed too.
Can you swim on Kapiti Island?
You can. There’s nothing against it…just be careful as the waves and currents can be strong. Ask the tour guides for the best swimming spots.
Can you travel to Kapiti Island by yourself?
In a sense, you can in that you can fish around the island from a boat (but not in the marine reserve). But you cannot land on the island without a permit.
Does anyone live on Kapiti Island?
Yes, there is a family on the North End of the island. They have manua whenua of the island.
Best time to visit Kapiti Island?
The best time is in summer when the temperatures are warmest and the rain is least likely to come and spoil your trip. In terms of the time of day to visit Kapiti Island, I’d take the earliest tour you can, especially if you want to have the best chance of calm waters on the return (the sea state often gets worst in the afternoon).
Note: The Kapiti Island tours usually do not run over winter time (June 1st to August 31st).
2. KAPITI ISLAND TRACK MAP
You can’t see the walking tracks on Google Maps at all, but they’re on Maps.me. There’s plenty of signage and orange triangles on the track so you won’t get lost. But you might want to check out this DOC map beforehand. You can trace my route using my Strava data.
3. HOW TO GET THERE
HOW TO GET TO KAPITI ISLAND
You can only visit Kapiti Island if you have a permit, of which a maximum of 160 are available each day. How do you get a permit? The only way that you can get one is by booking a tour with Kapiti Island Nature Tours (permits are included in the price).
After you’ve booked your trip, all you need to do is make your way to Kapiti Boating Club 20 – 30 minutes before you’re tour begins. When you get there you’ll see the boat ready and waiting for you. Once you hit the sea, the journey to the island takes about 20 minutes.
HOW TO GET TO KAPITI BOATING CLUB
Driving: If you’re driving, there’s parking available inside the Kapiti Boating Club carpark you can use. If it’s a super busy day you’ll need to try your luck south of the boating club near the skatepark/playground area (you’re not allowed to park on the beach).
Walking: If you’re staying in Paraparaumu Beach, then you’re good as gold to wander on down. Outside of Paraparaumu Beach and you’ll want to be driving or catching the bus.
Public transport from Wellington: You can book a Kapiti Island tour from Wellington which provides transport. Otherwise, you’ll need to catch the train to Paraparaumu Station before catching the bus as mentioned below. You can view the Kapiti Train Timetable here.
Public transport from Paraparaumu: There’s two buses that run from Paraparaumu Station to the Kapiti Boating Club. You can view the timetables bus #261 here and #262 here.
4. MY KAPITI ISLAND DAY TRIP EXPERIENCE
Looking back to the mainland from the platform at the summit of the island.
As someone who is a last-minute planner, I didn’t book in advance (you should to guarantee a space) so in the morning rang the Kapiti Island Nature Tours team to ask if there was any availability for the 10:30 am departure (online booking on the same day isn’t available). Luckily there was! So, for the first time in 20+ years I’d be stepping foot on Kapiti Island.
I always get a bit nervous when I’m arriving somewhere where I’m not 100% sure where the ‘meeting place’ is, but you don’t need to worry as you can’t miss the big boat next to the boating club.
My first interaction was with the owner Glen a.k.a. Coops. Coops is super friendly and remembered our call from the morning. I made the payment and a couple of minutes later was on board as we waited for the last few people to show up. They had plenty of brochures around to read about the island and Coops told us a couple of stories as Sam the tractor driver took us (~20 guests) down to the water (Robert our island guide was with us too).
The ride over is cruisey (weather dependent), but don’t expect epic views of the island as you approach, the windows aren’t clear but that’s the least of your worries (the view from the Parata Track is better anyway).
A weka snooping about in front of the shelter.
We landed at the south end of the Rangatira landing and walked the 10 minutes to the main shelter (making sure not to piss off the black-backed gulls). Once we took a seat Robert welcomed us to the island and told us about the history of the island, the walking tracks, the plan for the day, and the wildlife on the island (with a few good stories). This took 20-25 minutes or so and wasn’t a bore at all.
There were a few people who had booked a guided walking tour on the trails. These take one hour and cost $20 per person (maximum of 10 people).
You’ll need to walk past the Historic House to get to the Trig Track trailhead.
My plan for the rest of the time on the island was to walk up the Trig Track to the summit and return via the Wilkinson Track. The Trig Track trailhead was a little difficult to find (I think the signage is fine overall) but for those who are going up that way just make sure you walk across the deck of the historic house (above), then you’ll see the turnoff shortly after.
The Trig Track is steeper than the Wilkinson Track, but it’s nothing crazy (it wasn’t wet when I went up) and I would rather go up this way than the Wilkinson way because there aren’t any switchbacks (I despise switchbacks) it’s just steeper. And I thought the birdlife was more intense on the Trig Track. As someone who usually walks with headphones in, I didn’t even consider that as the bird songs were neverending (well it at least felt like that).
Just a New Zealand pigeon chilling (these are way cooler than the pigeons you see on the street)
One of the great things about bird watching on Kapiti Island is the birds aren’t fussed about humans and often don’t fly away when you approach as long as you stick to the trails. This New Zealand Pigeon (Kereru) above was just chilling out on the trail and not bothered by me at all!
Once I got on the track I was hearing so many birds. There was weka scrounging around, saddlebacks hopping about, robins attempting to play chicken (they wouldn’t move until the last second), tui’s swooping through the forest, and so much more. I wish I could identify all the different birdcalls!
Hustling my way up the Trig Track,
As you can see, the tracks are very clear.
The Trig Track is most definitely a steady climb but you can’t get lost thanks to the clear tracks and orange signs. It took me 1 hour 20 minutes to make the 2.7km trek up to the summit, which was at a slow pace with plenty of stopping for photos and watching of birds (there are a few benches along the way). The Trig Track does meet up with the Wilkinson Track about 20 minutes before you reach the summit, oh and there aren’t many stairs on either track.
Looking south from the summit.
At the summit there are a few picnic tables and a structure you can climb for epic views over the back of the island which is a steep plummet down the cliffside (you can see the mainland too). You should bring some lunch with you (I didn’t) and spend time at the summit.
Two of the four sugar feeders which keep the Hihi nearby.
This is about the best viewpoint you’ll have on the Wilkinson Track.
It was time to wander down the Wilkinson Track, and again I was struck with more epic bird songs. I didn’t see so much this time around and was a little gutted to hear I missed the kaka hanging out around the feeding station halfway down (there’s a feeder on the Trig Track too) which some people use as their turn around point before heading to the beach as they don’t want to hike to the summit. You don’t get too many opportunities of views as you walk down as the forest growth on the island is dense…which also means I didn’t get sunburnt!
The Rangatira Loop boardwalk.
A gecko skin found by Robert.
Cruising around the beach waiting for our pickup
The two Kapiti Island tour companies happened to be picking up their people at a similar time.
Once I reached the bottom, I wondered around the Rangatira Loop a little bit included the boardwalk before heading to the beach in front of the shelter. By the time I got to the beach, I had about an hour to relax on the beach which was nice (the water be cold), and I even managed to spot an Eagle Ray cruising along! We were all to meet the boat for our pickup at 3:15 pm to go back to the island, and thankfully everyone returned on time.
A 20-minute ride and we were back at the Kapiti Boating Club to continue on with our days. 10/10 day!
RELATED READ: AWESOME PHOTOS OF KAPITI ISLAND
5. WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE VISIT
If you love bird photography, visit Kapiti Island
- Everything ran on time.
- Coops and Robert were both epic people.
- Free time…while you could pay a bit more for a guided tour, you’re more than free to explore on your own.
- The reading material on the boat was a nice little touch.
- The signage on the island was everywhere it needed to be.
- The pure amount of birdlife. No high hopes being dashed on Kapiti Island.
I would normally include a section about what I didn’t like here, but I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like!
By now you’ll know I’m a big fan and recommend you visit Kapiti Island.
For $80 (children are cheaper) you get a boat trip to and from the island, and your permit to go on the island. That’s a fair price I think. You can’t make it too cheap as there’s only a limited number of visitors allowed to go daily. But they also haven’t priced everyone out of the experience.
If you have any questions, let me know below and I’ll be happy to help you out.
What to read next:
- Things to do in Wellington
- Heaps of the best things to do in New Zealand
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Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.