Welcome to Lena Lan's Youtube channel
Today I will bring you to Goat Island
This is a small island
close to the North Island coast, north of Auckland,
Northeast of Warkworth
within the Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve
the first marine reserve in New Zealand
Hi everyone, I wonder if you could hear me clearly
because I forgot my earphone at home
But I still keep talking
If you could not hear it, just stick with my voice record later
This is Goat Island
in North Island
We are in the spot not so close to the water
People usually go swimming and see fish
It's my regret not wearing a swimsuit to go swimming here
and I could show you how pure the water is, with its blue colour and lots of fish
I only dare to walk and dip my feet into the water
but waves here are so strong and I have already get wet
I will stay away a bit from the water now
so you may only see rocks and mosses
We need to go further to see fish
On the way to come here, I got lost for a while
I searched Goat Island
but It showed somewhere so so far
and the road was kinda strange, I felt that I have never driven on that road.
But I had a feeling that was not the road I drove last time.
Then it led to a dead-end
When I turned back, I had to take another way
I wanted to notice this for you to avoid it because I usually get lost when driving
Goat Island is 2-hour far from Auckland. It's worth taking a short trip here.
It's a good choice for someone who could drive as it's only 90 km
Later I will take you for a walk to discover what is special in this island.
This marine reserve was named as the island's name - Goat Island.
It's only 100m from the beach
and protect it from waves of Pacific Ocean
It takes only a short walk from the car park to the beach
The kick-off point for activities such as
diving, snorkelling, kayaking, and getting on glass-bottom boats
This island is a reserve and you are not allowed to catch fish
Hey guys, behind me is where people go swimming
the water is stunningly blue
Let's take you around
The marine reserve is ideal for visitors to see
various sea animals in a large number that you could not find anywhere else
You can bring your own snorkel
or diving equipment or you can hire them right at the beach.
You also can dive straight into the water
or join a guide with the staff here
I will lead you from the beach to the marine reserve
The best time to visit Goat Island is when the water starts turning warmer
which is in the summer, in January and February
There are many kinds of fish, shellfish, giant river prawns
I regret not bringing swimsuit
I could have dive underwater to show you fish
In 1940s
Locals caught huge snappers and crawfish here
A huge number of boats were collected after storms
and were used as fertilizers.
In 1950s and 1960s,
the number of sea animals fell
owing to exploitation.
there is a small stream right at this place
UOA's scientists have had an idea
to protect a part of this place so sea animals would not be affected.
The 1st marine reserve is in Goat Island
which officially became the Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve,
created in 1975 for scientific purposes,
including the 518-hectare coast
The number of snappers and crawfish has increased
after the place started being protected.
This creates a good condition for sea animals
The environment gradually has recovered from what has been lost.
More than 100 kinds of fish have been recognized by the reserve
All animals including crabs, starfish and shellfish
are protected within the reserve
and you are not allowed to collect them
Most visitors want to see sea animals in this reserve
Dolphins and fur seals also visit this reserve
The scene you are watching was captured underwater
Hey everyone, I am leading you to the area of rocks, stones and mosses
The place over the is so crowded
Not so convenient to capture videos there
So let's go to another corner
Goat Island has a special activity - Kayaking
You can get one Kayak for 2
That Kayak is transparent - you can see things underwater
You can use your phone to take some photos when sitting on the Kayak because it's transparent
In the advertising video, they used a fly cam but I could not bring it here
I have taken a short video on the way
it was far but you could see the Goat Island on that scene
Goat Island is the one behind me
This is it!
From the above, it might look like a goat.
I guess it, that's why they call it Goat Island.
Now I will lead you to a small stream
It is suitable for someone who has just finished swimming
and climb here to chill out and see the stream
It's quite close, we are almost here
This is it!
A very small one
Last time I did not come here as I did not notice this stream
This time I try to discover more
That's why I bring you here.
The stream looks so beautiful when you face it
I'm pushing it higher so you can see it clearly
This is the marine reserve so you must not catch any fish
So here is just for enjoying the nature
swimming
see coral reefs
see fish
Let me use the main camera,
it would be clearer than the selfie one.
Hey everyone, do you see how blue the water is?
If you go far from Auckland around half an hour of driving,
the water would be always blue like this
The beaches inside the city are not so beautiful.
If you want to see beautiful sceneries, you need to go far away.
Behind me is Goat Island
Anyone who can swim could reach Goat Island and spend time on discovering things there.
But there might be nothing on that island, except for itself.
There is a transparent Kayak right behind my back
I will capture it for you
You could hire a Kayak like this
and sail it above the pure, transparent water in the reserve's area.
You can see many kinds of fish, including snappers,
or rays
Compared with other areas outside the reserve,
there is a surprisingly huge amount of fish and
the ecosystem is also exciting to discover.
The kelp forest here is the only one in the region
If you don't want to dive but still want to see shoals of fishes
you can join the glass bottom boat tour
so you could see all protected sea animals here
During this famous tour,
you will be introduced and discussed
about various sea animals
other animals, birds, coral reefs,
you will know more about the history of reserving sea animals
and this marine reserve as the 1st one in New Zealand
Now let's look over the whole island
If you want to visit here only,
you can come over in any season of the year
If you enjoy diving and swimming,
you'd better visit here during January or February when the water is warm
This is one of the most beautiful beaches in New Zealand I have ever been to.
From the top, you still can see how pure the water is
I will reduce the height so you could see it clearer
This is Goat Island when you look down
As always, I am sharing some images that I captured Goat Island
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