Slipper Island is conveniently located half way between Mercury Island and Tauranga.  It was a quick stop in a beautiful bay. 

This island includes rocky reefs, sheltered bays and large fields of seagrass.  It is also a marine protected area that is home to 13 different habitats.

Seagrass meadows support a diverse range of species including juvenile snapper. Other species include horse mussels, scallops, rock lobster as well as sponges and soft corals.

The island is an important breeding site for a range of seabirds.

Slipper Island Anchorages

There are three bays on the east side of the Island. 

The first bay has a small resort called Slipper Island Resort. Guests from the resort can enjoy a private beach, beautiful nature walks and the marine reserve bay.

This bay is about 2nm from South Bay where we anchored.  We skipped this bay as it was pretty exposed to the wind.

The next bay was too small.

The third bay was perfect and aptly called “South Bay.  It is a large protected bay from the north and south winds.  

There is a beautiful sandy beach and with crystal clear waters lapping up the shore.

Ashore is privately owned so we can only walk the beach.  But the beach is enjoyed by lots of locals.

Slipper Island’s History

Approximately 18,000 years ago, when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, Slipper Island was connected to the Coromandel by a vast coastal plain.

Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, after which the island was separated from the rest of New Zealand.

During his second voyage to New Zealand in 1728, Captain Cook sailed this coast and renamed Whakahau Slipper Island. Neighbouring Motuhoa was called Shoe Island, because Cook thought they resembled a slipper and a shoe.

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

Find South Bay at Slipper Island on No Foreign Land.

You really don’t want to miss the beautiful photos in our last blog post, “A Hidden Bay at Mercury island.”

We visited this island in early March 2026.