Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve is a protected area

Protected area

Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...

 in the North Island of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Goat Island

Goat Island, Auckland

Goat Island is a tiny island in New Zealand located close to the North Island coast, north of Auckland, northeast of Warkworth, and directly west of Little Barrier Island...

 lies within the reserve and Leigh

Leigh, New Zealand

Leigh is a small coastal community in the north of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It lies on the west side of Omaha Cove, a small inlet within Omaha Bay to the south of Cape Rodney. It is 13 km from Matakana, 21 km from Warkworth and approximately 92 km north of Auckland City...

 is the closest town. Auckland University operate a marine laboratory at the reserve. It was created in 1975 as the first marine reserve

Marine reserve

For the United States Marine Corps Reserve see: Marine Forces ReserveA marine reserve is an area of the sea which has legal protection against fishing or development. This is to be distinguished from a marine park, but there is some overlap in usage...

 in New Zealand.

With more than 200,000 visitors per year, it is a popular spot for snorkelers and scuba-divers, due to the abundance and diversity of fish now living within the reserve, after over 30 years of protection. Species that can be found in the reserve include snapper

Lutjanidae

Snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in freshwater. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper....

and New Zealand sea urchin (kina).

External links

• Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve at the Department of Conservation