The Duke’s Runny Nose

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Whangaroa is a pretty secluded harbor with several bays available for anchoring.  It has super lush hillsides covered in trees and shrub that line the beautiful blue waters.  Whangaroa is famous for the Duke’s Nose hike. 

The Duke’s Nose: can you see the face in the rock?  The ear is on the left, and the eye is above the beakish nose.

We did this hike a few years ago but it was time to revisit it again (see post from 2023).  Unfortunately our timing was not so great this year.  We just had a massive rain storm which meant the trail would be super muddy and slippery.  However we were in the middle of preparing for Cyclone Vaianu so this was our only shot to hike up.

The Duke’s Nose Hike

Starting at Rere Bay, go to the DOC (Department of Conservation) Hut.  This is the start of the walk which is only 1.3 miles return with an elevation of 571′.  It took us about 1hr47min return with a long stop at the top to take some drone photos.  Our total moving time was only 49 minutes return.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that the short distance and travel time means that this is an easy hike.

The track follows the stream behind the DOC (Department of Conservation) Hut towards the Duke’s Nose.

There was also another stream the ran down the track making this a super slippery trek.  But on the positive side it was super lush and green all around us.

The majority of the track winds steadily through scrub and has a gradual climb, though not overly steep.  However, the real challenge is in the final 50 meters which feels more like rock climbing than tramping.

There are two sections that are really steep, in fact one is actual vertical!  DOC installed (2) metal poles into the rock to make it “easier” for the hikers to rock climb up the mountain side.

The Duke’s Head

This particular hike actually takes you to the top of the Duke’s Head (not his nose).  The views of Whangaroa Bay are usually stunning.  However, with the recent rain storms the mountains have dumped a lot of mud and dirt into the bays making them brown.  

Or as Matt says, “The Duke’s Nose was particularly runny causing the water to turn brown.”

But with the brown water comes lots of waterfalls (right photo).

Matt took some cool drone shots…can you find us in each shot?

Enjoying the rewarding views on top of the Duke’s Nose.

The waters are normally a beautiful blue.  The below photos were taken by previous visitors (from No Foreign Land).  Showing you how beautiful the water typically is at Whangaroa.

Matt and I were both happy we were able to get this hike in between the storm and cyclone.  Well worth the effort.

Find the hike on No Foreign Land.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events.

We hiked up to the Duke’s Nose in early April 2026.

All the Rare Things of Burgess Island

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The only island that humans can visit in the Mokohinau Island chain is Burgess Island.  It is the northernmost island of the group and is known for its lighthouse.

The Department of Conservation owns and runs most of the island as a nature preserve and wildlife sanctuary.

Unique species

Because of their isolated location at the edge of the continental shelf, the Mokohinau Islands are home for unique wildlife species found nowhere else in New Zealand, or the world.

The Mokohīnau Islands Nature Reserves provide a safe refuge for some of New Zealand’s smallest endangered species including:

  • Mokohīnau skink
  • Robust skink,
  • Mokohīnau stag beetle,
  • Several threatened plants.
  • Several species of burrowing and ground-nesting seabirds find refuge on the islands, as do a range of forest birds.

To be honest, none of these critters are particularly beautiful, but they are rare and endemic to these islands.

All exotic animal pests have been removed from the island group and the habitats are regenerating naturally. 

The Burgess Lighthouse

The 14 meter lighthouse on Burgess stands at 53 meters above sea level and was first lit in 1883!  The lighthouse, and three keepers cottages were built in 1882.

The keepers originally used oil to power the lighthouse. 

But later the Kiwis converted it to a diesel-generated electricity lighthouse in 1939.

During WWII the navy constructed an early warning radar station near the lighthouse.

The Maritime department automated and “de-manned” the lighthouse in 1980.  Vessels can see it 19nm (35 kilometers) out at sea where the light flashes every 10 seconds.

View from sea as we approach the islands.

View of the lighthouse from the dinghy

In 1996, New Zealand removed the original light and associated equipment and replaced it with a rotating beacon fitted with a 35-watt tungsten halogen bulb.  Solar panels now power the light at the lighthouse.

Today, you can see the lighthouse, the keepers cottages, the radar warning system, an oil store, and the remains of the landing jetty.

I found this interesting post on Burgess Island – check it out.

Unfortunately for us the swell was coming in pretty strong so we could not land the dinghy on Burgess Island. 

I was so disappointed but the “dinghy landing” looked sketchy and had a “danger” sign and the beach was all rocks.

Kiwi Ingenuity

This is a great story of Kiwi ingenuity. 

The keepers had problems getting stores (provisions) in the early years.  The ships only came out 3 times a year and were often very late.

In 1908, one of the keepers built a tin boat with tin sails and dropped 3 letters inside it.  On the outside of the boat were instructions to whoever found the boat.

The Maritime sent the stores ship out within 9 days of the tin boat leaving the Mokohinau Islands!

The original tin boat is on display as the “smallest mail boat in the world” at the Auckland Museum.

Astounding Beauty

We were not able to walk to the lighthouse but we did dinghy all around the Mokohinau Islands.  There are loads of caves and tunnels.

Just check out the many vibrant colors in the water and on the rocks!

Towering cliffsides and mountains jet up from the sea so powerfully.

Every turn showed us something more beautiful.

We were tucked away in a little bay near Hokoromea Island. 

This is by far the best anchor spot in all of the Mokohinau Islands.

But as you can see you have to search for a little sandy spot to drop the hook.

The Mokohinau islands are stunning.  However, you do have to have ideal weather conditions in order to anchor here. 

We were probably on the verge of not good conditions which is why we could not go to shore.  However, it was worth it just to be in the midst’s of so much beauty.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.

We were in the Mokohinau’s in early April 2026.

Find Burgess Island on No Foreign Land.

Be sure to check out our blog post on the Mokohinau Islands.

The Unbelievable Mokohinau Islands

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The Mokohinau Islands are a small group of islands located 60nm northeast from Auckland.  There are three large islands and about 10-12 smaller islands that make up this island chain.

The islands are volcanic stacks sitting at the edge of the continental shelf. Scientists estimate that the Mokohinau Islands formed between 10 and 8.5 million years ago.

Most of the islands in the Mokohinau Island chain are nature preserves and wildlife sanctuaries. The only island we can visit is Burgess Island.

This island chain is free of mammalian pests and has been left to naturally regenerate.

The Mokohinau Islands are home to a number of New Zealand’s smallest endangered species, such as the Mokohinau skink, the Mokohinau gecko, the robust skink and the Mokohinau stag beetle as well as a number of endangered plant species.

They are barely a spec on the average map.  You have to zoom in really far to make them show up.

There are no ferries and no planes that come to this group of islands. 

The only way you can visit is by charter boat or private yacht.  Lucky us!

We approached from the south (coming from Great Barrier Island).  

On the way to the islands we encountered a large pod of giant dolphins.  They played with us for about 20 minutes!

Atihau Island

There are not many “protected” anchorages in the Mokohinaus. 

You can only come here in fairly calm conditions as there are not many places to hide from adverse weather.

Lucky for us the conditions were good enough for us to try to find a anchor spot. 

Unlucky for us was that there was a boat in the main anchor spot north of Hokoromea Island.  But that is ok, we found another great spot.

We pulled into the north pass of Atihau Island. 

This bay is almost surrounded by beautiful rocky cliffs and rock mounds.

We anchored in 9m of good holding with strong easterly winds that wrapped into almost a southerly direction.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events. 

We were in the Mokohinau Islands during the early part of April 2026.

Find the Mokohinau Islands on No Foreign Land.

In our last blog post we enjoy a private anchorage off Green Island, Great Barrier.