Whenuakura Island

"Whenuakura Island, better known as Donut Island is a collapsed volcano that filled up with water and created an incredible lagoon. Because of that shape it's referred to as Donut Island. It's located off the coast of Whangamata and only accessible by kayak or paddle board. We rented a kayak for 2 hours for $30 and got a short induction about the island. Whenuakura Island is a Maori sacred place and apart from that also a wildlife snactuary which is why it's not allowed to step foot on land. You have to remain in the water at all times. Unfortunately, there's people that don't respect that. It took us 20 minutes with the kayak to get to the entrance of the lagoon. We were lucky with the weather, it was a nice day without any strong winds. From outside the island you enter through a tunnel to the inside of the lagoon. It's a spectacular sight and makes you feel like being in another world. The water has an incredible turquoise colour and we could see fish swimming there as well. There's a small rocky beach too and trees are growing high up. It's a peaceful place and you can hear the birds chirping. When we left after a while, we kayaked to the bigger island next to it that has a small beach that you're allowed to step on. Tip: We did the tour during high tide, which is the best time to do it as the rocks in the lagoon will be covered with water and it's a lot easier to get around with the kayak. "