Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the city centre.

[3] Former residents include former Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, the late Bruce Stewart, writer and dramatist at Tapu Te Ranga Marae; Middlesbrough F.C.

and All Whites striker Chris Killen;[4] artist John Drawbridge;[5] poet Alan Brunton;[6] writer Robin Hyde;[6] and, in the late 19th century, The Hermit of Island Bay.

[7] In pre-European times, Island Bay was home to several pa, including Te Mupunga Kainga, today represented with a pou in Shorland Park.

[9] A raiding taua (war party) from Muau-poko were making their way to the Ngai Tara stronghold of Te Whetu-Kairangi, a fortified pa on what is now Miramar peninsula (but was then an island).

In the morning, Ngai Tara warriors came down from Uruhau fort (modern day Southgate) and engaged Muau-poko in battle on the beach.

[12] In the early days of European settlement George Hunter was the chief proprietor of the Island Bay Estate, where he bred stock on his stud farm.

In 1905, Wellington's tramline was extended to Island Bay, increasing the area's popularity, and steadily transforming it into a seaside suburb.

The adjacent Erskine Chapel of the Sacred Heart, also designed by John Sydney Swan, was built in 1930 in the French Gothic style.

[18][19] The Island Bay Marine Education Centre on the foreshore has a small aquarium and touch tank, and is open to the public on Sundays.

It had a traditional brick front design, and some stained glass windows honouring the early settlers but the parish was required by Wellington City council to address the building's vulnerability to earthquakes.

Two diving companies operate in Island Bay, and offer trips within the local Taputeranga Marine Reserve and to the wreck of HMNZS Wellington, a decommissioned Royal New Zealand Navy frigate which was sunk off the coast of Island Bay in November 2005 to create an artificial reef.

A snorkel trail is located on the eastern side of the bay and offers opportunities to see local fish and marine life.

[29] The waters surrounding Island Bay have been under the protection of the Department of Conservation since the creation of the 854 hectare Taputeranga Marine Reserve in 2006.

Tamairanga, the wife of the Ngati Ira chief Whanake, escaped to the island with her children during a battle that forced the tribe from Wellington Harbour.

The City to Sea Walkway runs 12 km (7.5 mi) between Parliament and Island Bay through the Botanic Gardens and Aro Valley.