1 active Abel Tasman alert
- ClosureRoad resealing closures near Kaiteriteri, 29–30 OctoberExpect rolling closures on roads near Kaiteriteri from 6am to 8pm on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October while crews reseal the roads.Official details
Overview
About Tonga Island
Why stop
- New Zealand fur seals breed along the rocky fringe, with seabirds using the same coast.
Heads up
- There is no public landing; this is a water or shore view.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Abel Tasman map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Abel Tasman Tour Guide
Your drive to Tonga Island, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Abel Tasman National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
More stories near here in the app
- The Coughs in the Birdsong
- The Tide Sets the Walking Day
- Tōtaranui Beach and Campground
- 23 audio storiesacross Abel Tasman’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, New Zealand Fur Seal, Little Penguin, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 43 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Tonga Island
A water-based seal stopTonga Island is a small, forested island about 1 km off Onetahuti Beach in Abel Tasman National…
Tonga Island is a small, forested island about 1 km off Onetahuti Beach in Abel Tasman National Park. New Zealand fur seals (kekeno) breed along its rocky shoreline, which makes a boat or kayak pass the main reason to stop. Treat this as a water-viewing stop, not a landing: the island is unsuitable for public access, and DOC identifies it as permit-only.
Give kekeno roomKeep at least 20 m from seals.
Keep at least 20 m from seals. October through January is breeding season, when the colony is especially sensitive. Watch the rocks from a boat or kayak without closing in; a sighting is never guaranteed. For a photo, include some of the boulder shoreline rather than cropping tightly around an animal.
The island off OnetahutiThe island is roughly half a kilometre long and wide, with an 83 m high point.
The island is roughly half a kilometre long and wide, with an 83 m high point. From the water it reads as a rounded, bush-covered rise edged by pale rocks. Onetahuti Beach sits on the mainland just across the channel, and the island is also a landmark along this stretch of the Coast Track.
The wildlife on the rocksKekeno are the headline sight, but the reserve's rocky shores and islands also support spotted…
Kekeno are the headline sight, but the reserve's rocky shores and islands also support spotted and pied shags, oystercatchers, herons, terns, shearwaters and gannets. Dolphins are among the marine life found in the reserve; treat them, and any other unexpected visitor, as a bonus rather than part of a guaranteed seal trip.
A protected underwater landscapeTonga Island sits within a 1,835-hectare marine reserve established in November 1993.
Tonga Island sits within a 1,835-hectare marine reserve established in November 1993. That figure describes the surrounding protected waters, not the island. Below the surface, granite boulder reefs give way to coarse sand, with fish such as blue cod, moki and triplefins among the life recorded there, alongside reef stars, cup corals and kina.
Fit it into the coastThe Abel Tasman Coast Track descends from Tonga Saddle to Onetahuti Beach; seeing the island…
The Abel Tasman Coast Track descends from Tonga Saddle to Onetahuti Beach; seeing the island from shore is the land-based option, while boat and kayak trips pass its seal habitat. The reserve has no vehicle access, and DOC lists boat ramps at Tōtaranui, Tarakohe, Kaiteriteri and Mārahau for the wider area. For an independent paddle, check the tide and reef conditions: DOC warns of unmarked reefs, tidal changes of up to 5 m around Awaroa Inlet, and stiff summer sea breezes.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Abel Tasman
10 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
54 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
20 sightingsLittle PenguinMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
21 sightingsSouth Island KākāMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
527 sightingsWekaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
16 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Abel Tasman. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
