Motukahaua, better known as "Happy Jacks", sits in the Motukawao Group off the western Coromandel coast. It's about 1½ hours from Westhaven at 20 knots, with a small south-facing anchorage, Elephant Cove, that's a treat in the right conditions.
Updated October 2026 · By the Daily Boats team
About 32 nm
About 1½ hours at 20 knots
Elephant Cove, south side
Settled weather or northerlies
Private Māori land: permission needed to land
Not allowed: High Protection Area
Motukahaua Island (Happy Jack Island) is a small island, about 72 m high, in the Motukawao Group. The group lies off the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, between Coromandel town and Colville. Motukahaua sits roughly 6 km off the peninsula.
Its neighbours include Moturua (Rabbit Island), Motuwi (Double Island) and Motukaramarama (Bush Island). The group is about 11 km north of Coromandel Harbour.
From Westhaven, head out past North Head, through the Motuihe Channel and along the north side of Waiheke Island, then cross east to the Motukawao Group. The full trip is about 32 nautical miles: about 1½ hours at 20 knots.
Waiheke is on the way, so it's easy to break the trip there. See our Waiheke Island guide.
Plan your fuel for the round trip and keep a reserve. At 20 knots, sea state matters more than wind direction for a comfortable run, so check the forecast swell and chop for the open stretch across to the Coromandel.
This is a longer trip than a typical Daily day out. Talk to the Daily team before planning it.
Elephant Cove is the small, horseshoe-shaped bay on the south side of Motukahaua. It's best visited in settled weather or a northerly.
It's small, so there may not be room if others are already in. In a westerly, one cruising couple found wind and chop wrapping around the island into the cove and had to leave. Have a back-up plan.
You can anchor in the High Protection Area, but do it carefully. Use your sounder, avoid reef, and don't let the anchor drag.
The Motukawao Islands are Māori land. They're administered by Ngā Motu Aroha Trust on behalf of the descendants of the original owners, who represent Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Marutūāhu and Ngāti Pātukirikiri.
Public access is restricted. You need the landowners' permission before you go ashore. The trust is working to restore the islands, including controlling rats, with the aim of making them predator- and weed-free. DOC supports the project.
Since 2025 the waters around Motukahaua have been part of the Motukawao Islands High Protection Area under the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana marine protection law. In practice that means:
No recreational fishing and no taking seafood, including by diving or by hand.
Don't take, disturb, kill or damage anything.
No littering, polluting, firearms or structures.
Swimming, snorkelling, kayaking and boating are fine, as long as you don't harm marine life.
Check the boundaries on DOC's maps or the MarineMate app.
Exotic caulerpa, an invasive seaweed, has been found at several places in the gulf. Area rules change, so check biosecurity.govt.nz/caulerpa before you leave.
DOC asks boaties to clean the hull, propeller, anchor and gear before heading to the Motukawao Islands. If you have permission to land, keep the islands pest-free:
Check before going ashore. Look through the boat, lockers and bags for rats, mice, ants, plague skinks and seeds.
Report pests. Report any pest sightings to DOC on 0800 362 468.
Check the MetService marine forecast before you go, and again before you head home.
Log a trip report with Coastguard through the Coastguard app, on *500 from your mobile, or by VHF to your local Coastguard station.
Call Maritime Radio on VHF channel 16, or Coastguard on *500.
Coromandel Harbour is just south of the Motukawao Group, so Happy Jacks pairs well with a stop in Te Kouma Harbour. It's about 11 nm from Elephant Cove to Te Kouma, about 30 to 35 minutes at 20 knots. See our Te Kouma Harbour guide.
Leave Westhaven in the morning and run out about 32 nm to Elephant Cove, about 1½ hours at 20 knots. If the forecast doesn't suit the cove, stop at Waiheke instead.
Swim or snorkel, then make the short hop of about 11 nm to Te Kouma Harbour, about 30 to 35 minutes at 20 knots.
Head back to Westhaven, about 34 nm, or about 1¾ hours at 20 knots. On a weekend, skip Day 2 and come straight home.
Daily members boat on Buccaneer 635 HT hardtops kept in their own berths at Westhaven, Pine Harbour and Gulf Harbour. For the Coromandel side of the Gulf, Pine Harbour is the closer base. New members do a sea trial when they join.
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Planning note: distances and motoring times are approximate and assume an average of 20 knots. They vary with the boat, load, sea state and wind. Always check charts, the MetService marine forecast and local notices, including High Protection Area boundaries and Biosecurity New Zealand's caulerpa rules, before you set out.
Photos (Wikimedia Commons): Motukawao Islands by Ulrich Lange, CC BY-SA 4.0; Motukaramarama Island by Ulrich Lange, CC BY-SA 4.0; Moehau Range from Amodeo Bay by Johnragla, CC BY-SA 4.0; Castle Rock and Coromandel Harbour by W. L. Tarbert, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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