Get to know North Auckland

It’s another world over the bridge. The landscape is loaded with features usually found on an oil canvas: rolling vineyards; boat-speckled beaches; charming village-scapes. For beach-lovers, the seaside suburbs on the North Shore are really inviting.

SWEET BIRKENHEAD

Sitting 360 feet above sea level, Birkenhead boasts stunning panoramas across the Waitematā Harbour. Its crowning glory is the 1884 Chelsea Sugar Refinery with on-site Sugar café and weekday tours. Don’t miss the one-hour Le Roys Bush walk through native forest which conveniently sets off from Birkenhead village.

DELIGHTFUL DEVONPORT

Absorbing glitzy skyline views and the constant ebb and flow of Hauraki Gulf, Devonport feels close to the action, but far enough away to enjoy picture-perfect beaches and an elegant main street with cafés, boutique stores, Victorian buildings and a seaside vibe. Remember to pick up a treat from Devonport Chocolates.

TAKAPUNA TO MILFORD

Takapuna is a vibrant beachside destination just 10 minutes’ drive from central Auckland. It encompasses the best of everything – a relaxed beach atmosphere, designer shopping, a thriving hospitality scene with a huge variety of cafés, restaurants and bars, as well as stunning views across the beach. Go for a swim, paddle board, kayak or relax by Lake Pupuke. The Takapuna-Milford heritage walk is also known as the ‘lava trail’. Best at low tide when its most accessible and just over 2km in length, negotiate volcanic rocks lapped by water, stop at quiet bays for a swim and arrive in Milford ready for a refreshing drink at one of its many inviting cafés.

Takapuna playground,North Auckland © ilovetakapuna

SILVERDALE & OREWA

Half an hour after driving over the Harbour Bridge, you can find yourself in Orewa, a seaside town made for swimming, surfing and drinking up the coastal views along the Millennium Walkway. If you prefer snow over sand, Snowplanet is an indoor dry ski centre, located in Silverdale, six minutes by car from Orewa.

ALBANY AND LONG BAY

In Albany you can shop up a storm at Westfield mall or get the heart pumping at Game Over which has laser tag, go-karting and mini-golf. Long Bay Regional Park is a 10-minute drive from here: walk the coastal track to Pōhutukawa Bay and explore Long Bay Village, a gentrified dining and retail plaza just a two-minute drive from Long Bay Beach.

Long Bay Beach, North Auckland © Getty Images

TASTY PŪHOI

Sharing its locale with Pūhoi River, this dainty township was once occupied by a community of Czech Republic migrants (then known as Bohemia) and was founded by two Bohemian cheese makers. To this day the cheese is still delicious. Discover quaint tearooms, a rustic pub,19th century aesthetics and the Pūhoi Farmers Market, held on the last Sunday of every month from 9am.

WHANGAPARAOA PENINSULA

Take a 40-minute drive north from central Auckland to this breathtaking coastline and you will pass one glittering strip of golden sand after another including Red Beach, Stanmore Bay, Little Manly, Big Manly and Army Bay.

Gulf Harbour, North Auckland © Getty Images