//
Place in Auckland Region, New Zealand
Photo: Zeenatul Basher, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Leigh is a small town in the Auckland Region, north of metropolitan Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The nearest sizable town is Warkworth. The Goat Island marine reserve, formally called Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve, half an hour drive from Warkworth, was created in 1975 and was New Zealand's first marine reserve.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Run by the University of Auckland and associated with its Leigh Marine Laboratory.
Go diving or snorkeling. Various providers hire out gear for snorkeling and some provide trips:
Hire charges: snorkel, mask and fins $16; spring wetsuit $15, full suit $20.
Leigh (700 metres from the Leigh General Store). Hire charges: fins (flippers) $10; mask & snorkel $15; mask, snorkel & fins $22; mask, snorkel, fins & shorty 3mm wetsuit $30; mask, snorkel, fins & full length 3mm wetsuit $35.
Hire charges: snorkel $2; mask and snorkel $9; flippers/fins $8; 'summer' unisuit, full length, hood $18.
Goat Island marine reserve. Around the Island trip (45 minutes), adult $25, child $13; Inner Island trip (30 minutes) adult $20, child $10.
Restaurant, bar, music venue and accommodation.
Camp sites, on-site caravans and cabins. Hire gear for snorkeling in the marine reserve.
The road to Leigh departs from State Highway 1 just north of Warkworth and runs via Matakana.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Auckland · International · AKL
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Leigh (New Zealand) and New Zealand.
Travel tipsCompare and apply for the Australia ETA and New Zealand NZeTA in 2026. Step-by-step mobile app guides, fees, the IVL levy, and trans-Tasman rules.
7 min read
InspirationThe best places to visit in January for winter sun, deep powder snow and wildlife, comparing Niseko, Sri Lanka, Tromsø and New Zealand.
7 min read
Travel tipsFive of the best countries for solo female travellers, featuring safe night streets, easy public transit, and essential neighbourhood safety tips.
6 min read
Culture & historyExplore famous movie and tv filming locations around the world, from King's Landing in Dubrovnik to the Hogwarts viaduct in Scotland.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.