Rabbit Island Beach

Rabbit Island is the largest of three sandy islands in the Waimea Estuary.


A local favourite all year round, you’ll often find families, couples and groups of friends enjoying the BBQ facilities and picnic areas that backdrop the beach and cover the reserve.


The 13km beach is connected with the Mapua Village by a cycle ferry, which transports cyclists travelling on Tasman’s Great Taste Trail to the next point in their journey. The bridge that connects Rabbit Island with the mainland offers a range of sightseeing pleasures for those travelling along the trail, and sightings of the diverse birdlife that play in the peppercress bushes of the estuary are not uncommon.


The various access roads that dissect the Rabbit Island Recreation Reserve can be a little confusing, but the best way to identify your location is by the names of the various picnic areas, or the signs along the foreshore indicating the beach access points.


Note: Rabbit Island is a monitored reserve that is closed overnight. The gates near the entrance are usually shut shortly after dark, but the exact time varies throughout the year.