There are many offshore islands in Hong Kong that can only be reached by private boats. Tung Ping Chau is one of them.

The island, recently designated as the fourth marine park, is situated in the northeastern corner of Hong Kong waters, looking across the Dapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen. This crescent-shaped island is only 1.1 sq km and is famous for its spectacular rock formation. The whole island was formed by flat aqueous rocks (or shales, a kind of sedimentary rock). Its terrain is very flat and the highest point is only 48 meters high.

To me, it is exactly like one of the resort islands in Maldives.

Tung Ping Chau is famous for its spectacular rock formation.

A round-trip ticket to the island on weekend or public holidays costs only HK$80. The boat ride takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes and can be taken at Ma Lui Shui Pier, a 10-minute walk from MTR East Rail Line's University Station.

Tung Ping Chau is mostly a deserted island. We can hardly find any evidence on the island that those who used to live there were either farmers or fishermen. Nowadays, only an old man and several policemen live on the island. There is a circular nature trail on the island, with picnic areas, barbecue areas, notice boards, distance posts and toilets on the way.

I explored this island simply to see the exquisite corals .

Of the 53 species of corals found in Hong Kong, 37 species are mainly found around the pier. Brain corals and stony corals can be seen in shallow water during low tide.

I brought along underwater gear (snorkeling or scuba diving) so that I can take a closer look at the soft corals and gorgonians. They have calcareous spicules in their tissues to support and maintain their body form in deep waters (usually five to 25 meters deep) even with stronger water current.

Amazingly, the coral community still houses numerous marine invertebrates such as starfish, sea urchin, sea cucumber, cowry and nudibranch.

Due to the important ecological value, two areas have been set up within the marine park to protect the corals. They are located in Tai Tong Wan and Ah Ma Wan. Fishing and anchoring are prohibited in the areas.

If you would spend three hours walking around the island, you will get a lot of information about the island.

At the end of the pier, you would reach a rocky shore "A Ma Wan". Shale stacks cover the whole area and black shiny fragments of asphaltic plant fossils can often be found on the bedding. Smooth and round pebbles that have been through years of polishing by tides and waves are all over the calm sheltered bay in front of Lam UK .

No one can miss the some 240-year-old Tin Hau Temple near the rock stacks and travelers love to climb up the two large black rocks of about seven to eight meters tall which is called Kang Lau Shek (Watchtower Rock ). This is the spot to watch sunrise .

Upon leaving the rock, I walked along a nearly 100-meter-long wavecut platform towards the west, and find myself in front of an almost vertical cliff. This is the notorious "Lan Kwo Shui". When there is low tide, I can walk swiftly across it. But when it is high tide, the bottom of the cliff is submerged in water and southwesterly waves surge violently at the same time. If I try to make my way, I will probably be drawn out to the sea. It was high tide at the time, so I walked back to the trail, went through Hok Ngam Teng and back to the sea at Lung Lok Shui or Cham Keng Chau.

There is a big compass in Hok Ngam Teng, on which directions and times of sunrise and sunset throughout the year are clearly marked.

It is worth seeing Hong Kong's magnificent coastal features on Tung Ping Chau.

Natural wonders are everywhere along Hoi Lo Tung, Lung Lok Shui, Lung Lun Tsui, Chau Mei Kok, Mao Kung Tung, Cheung Sha Wan and Tai Tong Wan.

Local students as well as those interested in the flora and fauna, love to come here for ecological exploration.

This island attracts different kinds of birds throughout the year, which include resident birds, migratory birds and passage migrants.

On Tung Ping Chau, eight out of nine families of butterfly recorded in Hong Kong can be found.

With its great diversity and variability, Tung Ping Chau is home to many vegetations and wildlife despite its small size.

The author is the marketing development director of

HK Discovery.

(HK Edition 04/25/2008 page4)