10 Years A Kiwi - Interactive Photo guides to Enjoying New Zealand: The Auckland Region

NORTH ISLAND

M A R K

M E R E D I T H

THE AUCKLAND REGION

B Y

10 YEARS A KIWI

PHOTO GUIDES TO ENJOYING NEW ZEALAND

10 YEARS A KIWI P H O T O

G U I D E S

T O

E N J O Y I N G

N E W

Z E A L A N D

Copyright Š 2016 Mark Meredith, Scribblesnz Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

Scribblesnz Publishing, 18 Geoffrey Road, Torbay, Auckland 0630, New Zealand Email: meredithnz@gmail.com Website: www.scribblesnz.co.nz ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & ABBREVIATIONS In this book I have included PDFs, maps and guides published by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and by Auckland Council (AC). Other publications are credited where they occur.

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CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 !

CHAPTER 2 !

CHAPTER 3 !

CHAPTER 4!

CHAPTER 5!

CHAPTER 6!

CHAPTER 7!

! ! ! ! ! ! !

AUCKLAND INTRO CITY & SUBURBS REGIONAL PARKS HAURAKI GULF VOLCANOES RURAL AUCKLAND USEFUL STUFF

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10 YEARS A KIWI P H O T O

G U I D E S

T O

E N J O Y I N G

N E W

Z E A L A N D — A U C K L A N D

In the 10 years since my family emigrated to New Zealand we’ve discovered more of this incredible country than almost any Kiwi we’ve met. After nine years living in Trinidad, a small island in the southern Caribbean, the opportunities for exploration presented by coming to New Zealand have been so exciting that we’ve never been able to stop. It’s been an ongoing adventure. And that’s its allure, whether living here or just visiting: how easy it is to enjoy New Zealand; to get to virtually every corner of this country. The roads are good, the air network everything you could hope for, and the accommodation and cuisine as diverse as the landscape, while the people are laid-back, friendly and helpful. All you have to do is get out there and enjoy what is surely the most beautiful small country in the world.

With so much to see, in an area larger than Great Britain, it can be difficult deciding what to see and what to leave out. These guides have two objectives: to inspire you to visit the destinations featured here, and to show you places that are easy to explore and affordable to visit, based on our experiences as a family with three girls on an average family budget. This is not meant to be a Lonely Planet or a Rough Guide, as we have had neither the time nor the Front cover: Camping, kayaking and enjoying Te Arai beach iii

budget to cover New Zealand as they would. We cannot tell you how it feels to cling to a wind-lashed, ice-covered rock face as we have not climbed mountains with crampons. Nor have we trekked for days through the wilderness – the kids would have revolted – or taken exorbitant helicopter rides over the Alps. Instead, we have done what most families can easily accomplish, both in terms of economy and time.

These guides encompass the places we have visited, which include most of the country’s bestknown attractions, as well as some of its lesserknown spots. Everything we have done has been accomplished during school holidays, or on weekends and public holidays. I hope this guide will appeal to ordinary families like us, as well as to tourists, visitors, new immigrants, and would-be immigrants who can’t quite make up their minds, Kiwis who still haven’t experienced what’s on their doorstep, and anyone who is wondering – what shall we do this weekend?

tracks or climbs hills to find a better vantage point for that photo. I hope this book will prove useful to photographers trying to figure out which areas deserve their attention. My wish is that the photographs will motivate the reader to visit the areas depicted, as it is photography that has driven the direction of this book. The old cliche of a picture being worth a thousand words was never truer than in the e-book format. Good photos viewed on a retina screen iPad or other device really pop and showcase a place in a way words cannot.

Because the book is so photo-heavy it has meant that e-book size limitations require I produce a series of books on New Zealand rather than one.

So this is the first in a series of guides that cover specific regions of both the North and South Islands.

I have started the series with Auckland, as that is where visitors first arrive in New Zealand and where the majority of immigrants choose to live, and because economically and culturally its size makes it the country’s most important centre.

I’ve photographed every area our family has ever been to, often to their exasperation: wife and kids waiting in the car while Daddy disappears down

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This guide to Auckland has been divided into seven parts, starting with the city and suburbs. Chapter two deals with what I think makes Auckland such a great place to live or visit: its regional parks and beaches. Two other factors help give Auckland its unique character: the Hauraki Gulf and the islands that lie within it, and the volcanic geology of the city itself, which has shaped its past and may yet determine its future. The chapter on rural Auckland includes towns and villages worth visiting in their own right, as well as the vineyard/winery tourist trails north and west of the city. Useful Stuff gives links and information on food and drink, entertainment, accommodation, transport, health and safety, and communications.

Each area description covers what there is to do, why you should go there, where to go, and how to get there. There are links (blue type) to Google Maps and interactive guides, as well as to additional information in the form of PDFs, brochures and many useful and interesting websites.

To view photo galleries, simply tap the photo to expand to full screen with thumbnails and captions. Tap once more to hide captions and thumbnails.

Important: view this book in landscape orientation.

Right: A crowd admires "In Search of Barebottomed Land", by Christian Nicholson, at Sculpture On Shore, Fort Takapuna

C H A P T E R

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INTRODUCTION

AUCKLAND

Like 1.5 million other Kiwis, our family lives in New Zealand’s largest city – although we actually live on the outskirts of Auckland in Torbay on the North Shore. Around 50 per cent of all new immigrants to New Zealand choose to settle in Auckland, and it’s easy to understand why. Situated on a narrow isthmus between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by glorious beaches, rolling countryside and a wealth of beautiful parks set aside for public use, with a mild subtropical climate, Auckland regularly appears near the top of most global quality-of-life tables.

With two large harbours and the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park on its doorstep, Auckland is also known as the City of Sails, such is its obsession with yachting and all things boating. It has a diverse, cosmopolitan mix of cultures (39% of its population was born overseas) and the largest Polynesian population of any world city. Immigration from Asia has doubled in the last 15 years and that has had many impacts, not least on the local dining scene, with Aucklanders having a tremendous choice of Asian cuisines.

There’s a thriving dining and cafe scene: see the Metro Magazine Top 50 restaurants here and the top “cheap eats” here. And when it comes to live entertainment, we certainly don’t feel as though we are stuck at the bottom of the world, with the city being a regular stop on the world tours of most major artists.

The Auckland region covered in this guide is large, stretching 90km north to Te Arai Regional Park on the east coast, and as far south as Miranda on the Firth of Thames, 85km from the Auckland CBD. It also includes the Hauraki Gulf and islands that come under Auckland control.

Previous page: Waitemata Harbour and the Harbour Bridge linking the city to the North Shore

7 Right: Auckland CBD and western suburbs

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The East Coast of the Auckland region is where you’ll find the best beaches for swimming, with the finest of those north of the city. The landscape is hilly, with farming and forestry prominent, and golden bays and rocky outcrops form a coastline dotted with small towns and villages much given over to holiday activity the further north you go. Along this coast are areas set aside for conservation and enjoyment – Auckland’s Regional Parks.

The West Coast feels the brunt of the prevailing winds and weather that sweeps in from the Tasman Sea. The water on this coast is rough and dangerous, but you can still swim and surf, though swimming should only be attempted where lifeguards are present. It’s a dramatic coastline, with the Waitakere Ranges and their volcanic geology forming black sand beaches backed by tall cliffs and forested hills; and the green hills of Kaipara and Awhitu Peninsulas forming two large harbours. Human presence along the West Coast is sparser – settlements, like the one at Muriwai, are tucked away between bluffs or strung out along clifftops.

Here, too, there are several magnificent regional parks, wild and wonderful.

Auckland City and its suburbs make up an enormous sprawl. Its pleasant, green and leafy suburbs of mainly detached homes spread out in every direction. With Auckland City sitting between two harbours, and the North Shore hugging the Hauraki Gulf, the sea is the influential factor governing the lifestyle and general vibe of the City of Sails.

Auckland region

Previous page: City of Sails Right: Kite runner at Piha Beach

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G E T T I N G

A R O U N D

From above, Auckland looks huge, suburbs marching away from horizon to horizon. But Auckland City is, in fact, quite compact and small, though, at the time of writing, it is not that easy to get around. Public transport here is not a strong point. Hopefully this will change by 2021 with the completion of the hugely expensive ($2.4bn estimate in 2012) Auckland City Rail Link, an underground rail system linking the bottom of town, from the Britomart train station near the harbour, to Mt Eden, and providing a through-route from the western suburbs. For the visitor, this will enable you to get from the bottom of town to the top without walking all the way uphill or taking a series of buses, which is what you have to do now. Auckland is very hilly, so walking it is tiring but not impossible.

Driving around the city, on the other hand, is extremely confusing. Even after 10 years of doing it, I’m still making wrong turns. Parking in Auckland is expensive, exorbitant even, so be warned. Avoid driving in or out of Auckland during the rush hour, if possible, as the roads get clogged in every direction. After rush hour, getting into or out of the city by car is not a problem.

Catching buses from the city centre can be puzzling. The main bus interchange is at Britomart in downtown Auckland. If in doubt, ask staff there, but you can find info on bus services on the Auckland Transport website. Purchasing an AT HOP smartcard enables discounted travel on trains, ferries and buses around Auckland. If you are coming to the city from the North Shore, you can either join the traffic backing up on the SH1 over the Harbour Bridge, or take a bus via the Northern Busway from Albany Station. Buses run along a dedicated lane on the side of the motorway, with stops along the way. They avoid the traffic snarl-ups and will get you there fast and relatively

cheaply. From south, east and west Auckland suburbs you can travel by car, bus or train, and by ferry from Devonport, Half Moon Bay, and Waiheke and other islands. Auckland Transport has a list of travel guides detailing bus, train and ferry services from the city to the suburbs and vice versa, with timetables. There are good maps, too.

If you’re planning to spend up to a week or more in the Auckland region, you’re going to need a car.

Exploring the regional parks and other rural attractions without one won’t feel like much of a holiday. You can take one of many tours on offer, but you may get more from your visit by being independent. Another alternative is to rent a campervan, or motorhome. We’ve done several motorhome holidays and I highly recommend it. It gives you the freedom to stop where and when you please, with no check-in or check-out deadlines and lunch with a view to die for. Most regional parks and campgrounds cater for motorhomes, but check they have powered sites. We’ve used Kea and Wilderness, which are both very good with excellent, comfortable vehicles. The rental price in summer goes way up. Read about my experience of a motorhome in this NZ Herald article.

For short journeys around the city and suburbs, taxis are plentiful. The online taxi service by Uber is making inroads into the local market and is often cheaper.

Riding a bicycle around Auckland is not for the faint-hearted, although there are many cycleways and new ones being added all the time, and some are off-road; read a NZ Herald review of them here. Auckland drivers are not tolerant of cyclists, and the relationship between the two is strained.

Also, remember, Auckland is very hilly!

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C H A P T E R

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CITY/SUBURBS

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DOWNTOWN & WATERFRONT A visitor’s first impression of downtown Auckland, whether you arrive via the SH1 motorway with its elevated views past the Sky Tower to the sea, or by the sea itself on one of the many cruise ships that call here, is bound to be: “Wow! Not bad. What a setting!”

The compact, high-rise CBD, dominated by the Sky

Above: Viaduct Harbour from the Wynyard Quarter development

Tower (but with more tall buildings in the works), looks out over the glory of the Waitemata Harbour which, with the generally sunny days we enjoy, tends to sparkle like a giant necklace. It’s a constant reminder of just how precious the jewel that is our waterfront really is.

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Even Sydney, with its iconic buildings, structures and enviable public transport, can’t match the outstanding panorama spread before us. And if you approach the city from the north over the Harbour Bridge, or view it from Mt Victoria in Devonport, or from the Sky Tower, you’ll know you are looking at one of the world’s great city locations.

But, as you will see, despite years of promises from successive Auckland administrations, our waterfront is not an easy thing to access and enjoy. But, thankfully, things are moving in the right direction and if the promises we have heard come to fruition, then we will have a waterfront our cousins in Oz will envy.

The waterfront encompasses a 15km stretch from the Harbour Bridge to the suburb of St Heliers at the end of Tamaki Drive. A large chunk of it, from just past the orange Ferry Building on Quay Street to the beginning of Tamaki Drive, is occupied by the Ports of Auckland, and access to the harbour by the public is blocked by an infamous red fence.

However, to enjoy the harbour in the downtown area, you’ll find many beautiful spots along Westhaven Marina, Wynyard Quarter, the Viaduct, and the promontories of Princess and Queens wharves.

Right: NZ Geographic photography exhibition at Auckland War Memorial Museum

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V I A D U C T

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W Y N Y A R D

Q U A R T E R ,

T A M A K I

D R I V E

When New Zealand hosted the Americas Cup in 2000, this commercial harbour in a fairly run-down area of Auckland was rebuilt and transformed for the event. The Viaduct Harbour we enjoy today is an upscale development of shops, restaurants, bars and apartments built around a harbour filled with yachts and super-yachts, some of which can take your breath away. The restaurant choices are good, but on the expensive side.

On the seaward side of the Viaduct, opposite the Hilton Hotel – built to look like an ocean liner – you’ll find the National Maritime Museum which houses the history of New Zealand’s maritime past, from Polynesian explorers to Americas Cup triumphs and disappointments. Under the Hilton Hotel there are many restaurants, some pretty expensive. Even if you don’t eat in one, it’s worth walking past them up the wharf to get a view of Auckland’s fantastic harbour towards the Harbour Bridge and straight across to Devonport.

Because of another sports event, the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the area was further rejuvenated with the development of the adjoining Wynyard Quarter, reached by the Te Wero footbridge from the Viaduct. This has served to open up Auckland’s waterfront a little more, but not as much as most of us would like. Nevertheless, this is a great spot to chill out and eat as there’s a great choice of bars and restaurants with views of ships plying across the harbour, and street entertainers adding to the convivial atmosphere. Well worth a visit is the Auckland Fish Market that’s been incorporated into the design. Adjoining Wynyard Quarter is Silo Park, an open space dominated by huge cement silos, kept as a nod to the industrial heritage of the area. On summer evenings movies are projected onto its walls. Silo Park is also used to host events and open-air concerts.

The Gantry offers good views over the Silo Park; just take the stairs or the

Right: Staircase in Wynyard Quarter made from an old shipping container, part of the imaginative transformation of an industrial area into a thriving entertainment venue

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lift. Big development plans are set to alter the Wynyard area considerably, with the old Tank Farm petrochemical storage facility being turned into apartments, offices, shops and, praise be, public parkland and open space, giving us more access to our harbour. Further glimpses of the waterfront can be enjoyed from the newly opened first section of the Westhaven Promenade, a walkway and cycleway that will eventually run 21km to St Heliers in the east. Presently, it runs from Westhaven Marina (the largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere) by the Harbour Bridge to Wynyard Quarter. Coming from Wynyard Quarter, head down Beaumont Street and onto Westhaven Drive.

From the Hilton Hotel, turn left up Quay Street towards the sunset-hued Ferry Building. Here you catch ferries to Waiheke Island, Rangitoto Island and the eastern suburbs. Just past the Ferry Building you’ll find Queens Wharf, now open to the public and the venue for two entertainment/function buildings. One is called The Cloud and looks like a vast, white inflated worm, and the other is Shed 10, a restored cargo shed dating from 1910. The latter was given a make-over for the Rugby World Cup and is now used as a cruise ship terminal and for occasional events, while the former was built for the Cup as an entertainment venue and is designed as a temporary structure. For most, the major benefit of having access to Queens Wharf is further access to the waterfront, because, from here as you head past the red fence of the Port, you won’t see the waterfront again till you hit Tamaki Drive over 2km east, a half-hour walk.

Sunset over the city, viewed from Mt Hobson

COAST TO COAST WALKWAY If you have the time, and the energy, this16km hike from the Viaduct Harbour across the city to the Manakau Harbour at Onehunga, via the Auckland Domain, Mt Eden and One Tree Hill, will give you the perfect feel for what makes Auckland uniquely Auckland. Information here.

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Tamaki Drive runs 8km from the end of the Port to the posh suburb of St Heliers. It’s a busy road but has a promenade running along the seaward side, affording fantastic views of Rangitoto and the CBD when viewed from the stretch running past Kelly Tarlton’s Sealife Aquarium. The seaside suburbs that Tamaki Drive passes through – Orakei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama and St Heliers – comprise among the most expensive real estate in Auckland, and probably in all of New Zealand.

Paritai Drive in Orakei, for instance, has house prices starting at $3m to upwards of $12m at time of writing.

The highlight for visitors with children in this area is Kelly Tarlton’s Sealife Aquarium situated below Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park. Named after marine archeologist and diver Kelly Tarlton (1937–1985), Tarlton came up with the idea of employing disused sewage tanks in which to build the aquarium. It was also among the first aquariums to use clear, acrylic tunnels to transport people through the underwater world. It’s very well done, one of the highlights being a mock-up of Captain Scott’s hut in Antartica and a train ride through an icy penguin world. Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park above the aquarium is set on 49ha of land with landscaped gardens and an Art Deco memorial to New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister and creator of the country’s Welfare State, for whom the park is named. It’s a good spot for a picnic and has lovely views over to Devonport.

Mission Bay is the suburb immediately after Kelly Tarlton’s, with a grassy seaside reserve and promenade, a fine sandy beach and great views of Rangitoto. There are lots of restaurants and bars, and a summer jazz and blues festival takes place here. Kohimarama and St Heliers are similar, with plenty of shops and city beaches. At the end of Tamaki Drive in St Heliers, take a left turn up Cliff Road to Achilles Point for excellent views of the Gulf and Browns Island, a small, perfectly formed island volcano.

St Heliers and Browns Island

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Q U E E N

S T

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A R O U N D

From the Ferry Building head north into Queen Elizabeth II Square. On your left you’ll see the Britomart transport hub where you can catch buses and trains to some suburbs. The area around Britomart has been given a new lease of life, with many bars and restaurants now vying for your dollar.

Cross Customs Street from Queen Elizabeth II Square at the lights and you are at the bottom of Queen Street, Auckland’s premier shopping area.

You’ll find the same shops that you’ll see in many malls but also new stores with designer names like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, and now the UK’s Top Shop. There are two attractive Victorian shopping arcades, Queens Arcade, at no. 34 Queen Street, and The Strand Arcade at no. 233. Queen Street also has its fair share of tacky souvenir shops, mostly situated at the lower end of the street. Higher up Queen Street you’ll pass the lovely art nouveau Civic Theatre, built in 1929, which hosts regular plays, musicals and concerts in its splendidly lavish Indian/Moorish interior. Opposite the Civic is Auckland’s most iconic department store, Smith & Caughey’s.

A little further up from the Civic you’ll find the juxtaposition of neoclassical and concrete modern in Aotea Square and Auckland Town Hall. The latter is a wedge-shaped neo-Baroque building designed to fit on the specific piece of land it was assigned. It hosts classical concerts, sometimes folk and rock music too. Acoustics in the concert chamber are superb. Across the concrete space of Aotea Square is another concert theatre, the Aotea Centre, which also hosts non-musical events. In the Square each October or November Divali celebrations are held, when the centre of Auckland is given over to the Indian Festival of Lights, with music, dancing and feasting. Adjoining Aotea Square on Queen Street is the Metro Centre, an imaginatively designed building housing a food court and the Imax cinema complex. Getting to the movies involves ascending a series of escalators which, if you suffer from vertigo, you may want to forsake for the lifts.

Further up, at 369 Queen Street, you’ll find New Zealand’s best record shop, Real Groovy, with a huge collection of vinyl, CDs, DVDs, books, Tshirts and other music-related paraphernalia.

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The streets off Queen Street are worth exploring for shopping and bars and restaurants. The area to the left of Queen Street, below Albert Park, is more picturesque, with some interesting lanes and alleyways. Take a wander down Lorne Street, parallel to Queen Street, towards High Street, Chancery Square and Freyburg Place.

From there walk uphill along O’Connell St to Albert Park, a pretty volcanic remnant bordered by pohutukawa glades with formal gardens, much frequented by students from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology. Both campuses neighbour the park. For many years, Albert Park has hosted the Lantern Festival in the summer (usually February or March). This is an extravaganza of spectacular lanterns and Asian cuisine over a couple of days, but moved to the Domain in 2016.

Adjoining Albert Park, on Kitchener Street, you’ll find the wonderful, revamped, award-winning Auckland Art Gallery, an architectural triumph marrying old and new, housing the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand. It often hosts international travelling exhibitions of art, including photography.

SKY TOWER On the right of Queens Street, heading up Victoria Street West or Wellesley Street, you won’t be able to miss Auckland’s most iconic building and New Zealand’s and the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest – the Sky Tower. Running alongside an entire block of Federal Street and Hobson Street, it’s much more than a 328m observation and communications tower. Opened in 1997, the tower, which has been compared to a giant hypodermic needle, caused much controversy. Many people hated the extraordinary structure, saying it was ugly and brash, while others loved it, believing it gave a focal point to the mish-mash of tower blocks comprising the CBD. Today it seems impossible to imagine Auckland without it as it defines the city. It’s been designed to withstand winds gusting to 200km/h hour – and at this wind speed the tower Fireworks are launched each New Year’s Eve from the Sky Tower, though this picture was taken at the opening of the Rugby World Cup in 2011

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Chinese Lantern Festival in Albert Park

would sway up to a metre at the top. It’s also designed to withstand an earthquake of 8.0 on the Richter Scale. The Sky Tower averages 1,150 visitors a day, most of whom head to the observation decks for the amazing 360 degree views. There’s a revolving restaurant up there as well as the chance to walk around the top of the tower on the Sky Walk with no guard rails, harnessed to the structure to stop you falling off. But if you want to fall off you can: the Sky Jump is like a giant bungee jump but

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guided down by a cable. Jumpers are suspended by the main observation deck for a few moments to wave at the onlookers before hurtling downwards at about 85km/h. Not for me! At the foot of the structure, on various levels, you will find the Sky City Casino and Sky City Theatre, as well as numerous award-winning restaurants and bars. You can park underneath the tower in a vast and incredibly confusing multistorey car park. I challenge you to find your car without some difficulty.

Opened in 1959, the Auckland Harbour Bridge connects the city to the North Shore. There is an Auckland Bridge bungy jump and bridge climb and approval has also been given to run the $33m SkyPath over the bridge, enabling pedestrian and cycling access across the water. Presently it just takes cars and lorries. Above: Sailors enjoying a leisurely yacht cruise around Auckland’s Harbour – but if this is too sedate for you, you can always fly around it in a jet boat.

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K R O A D P O N S O N B Y At the top of Queen Street, it’s worth checking out Karangahape Road, or “K Road”, a mixture of colourful shops, ethnic eateries, boutiques, tattoo and massage parlours and strip joints – alternative Auckland’s answer to London’s Portobello Road but not really as interesting. There are good choices of food. On the weekend it can get quite rowdy at night, a fall-out from overintoxication among too many.

AROUND AUCKLAND

At the top of K Road you’ll find the eastern end of Ponsonby Road, “Auckland’s hippest strip”, a trendy area filled with good restaurants and bars, boutiques and an interesting array of shops.

It’s said that Ponsonby Road is where the celebrity and poseur set hang out; where one should be seen. Don’t let that put you off: it’s a good shopping and eating area with some fine old villas off the main road which give a sense of what Auckland used to be like before so much that was pretty was bulldozed for functional development. There are some good views of the city too. On Franklin Road each Christmas the houses are decorated in an over-the-top display of lights and decorations, each home trying to outdo the other. Western Park, which borders the main road, is a nice place for picnic. If you’re in a car, beware your speed along Ponsonby Road: it’s only 40km/h, as I have found to my cost.

Heading north from Ponsonby Road will take you to the Harbour Bridge and Herne Bay, one of Auckland’s most expensive

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G R E A T N O R T H R O A D W E S T E R N S P R I N G S suburbs. Take a drive or walk around to see the old villas and mansions.

Where K Road meets Ponsonby Road also marks the beginning of the Great North Road, an alternative exit (to SH16) from the city westwards, though they eventually merge. There’s not a great deal to note on this road except MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology), Western Springs Park and Auckland Zoo. MOTAT has collections dedicated to Kiwi ingenuity, civilian and military aircraft and transport vehicles, from trolly buses to trucks and vintage traction engines, to cars, aviation and science exhibits; a must visit for aviation enthusiasts especially.

Western Springs is a large park set around a lake. It’s a lovely spot to walk and picnic and to feed the swans and ducks. Each year it hosts Pasifika, a celebration of South Pacific island and Maori culture, with costumes, music, dance and delicious food – a really interesting and enjoyable experience. Western Springs Stadium hosts Speedway, rugby and large outdoor concerts and festivals.

Bordering Western Springs is the delightful Auckland Zoo. We’ve been here many times with the kids, mostly to see the animals but sometimes to attend special events like Zoo Music, summer rock concerts at the Rotunda in the middle of the zoo.

The zoo is split into sections: Pridelands for the African animals, a monkey jungle, a walk through an aviary of New Zealand birds, special New Zealand sections, and many others, all of which are very impressive. What I like about this zoo is the lovely landscaping, the enthusiasm of the staff, the information; just how well done everything is.

Anika Moa performs at Auckland Zoo

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Auckland War Memorial Museum on the Domain

D O M A I N

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P A R N E L L

The Domain is Auckland’s oldest park, separated from the city centre by Grafton Gully but accessible via Grafton Bridge, or from the upscale suburb of Parnell. Dominated by the imposing edifice of the GrecoRoman Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Domain is set on an extinct volcano and encompasses formal gardens, a rotunda, woodland, playing fields, classical statues, and the Victorian Wintergardens. The latter has two large glasshouses, one temperate and one heated, with exotic tropical plants – a nice place to escape to on a cold day. The Domain is a beautiful park with a nice vibe, great views and wonderful trees, where visitors can enjoy jazz on summer weekends, picnic in the splendid gardens, and play rugby, cricket, football games. The Auckland War Memorial Museum is one of New Zealand’s most important and impressive museums and the principal site of Auckland’s Anzac Day commemorations.

If you are visiting Auckland for a limited time, leave yourself at least half a day to get the most out this very large museum. Its three floors encompass a fantastic display of Maori and Polynesian art and culture, including a whole marae (meeting house) built indoors. The masks and carvings from Polynesia are especially fascinating. There’s an excellent exhibition detailing the story of how modern New Zealand was shaped through immigration over the decades. The volcanic exhibition on the second floor is a favourite of many, especially the simulated eruption inside a suburban home which shakes and crashes while you watch a fake report of the disaster on the lounge TV. There’s a good natural history section including a 10ft moa, which really brings home the tragedy of their relatively recent demise. The top floor shows how New Zealand’s identity was shaped by war, from Maori conflicts to those of the 20th century.

During recent renovations an enormous copper and glass dome was built at the rear end of the museum. Undulating in shape, it’s supposed to show the volcanic lines and rolling landscape of the city. Beneath the dome is a large atrium with a massive sphere made from kauri wood and housing an events centre. The sphere looks like a gigantic bees’ nest.

Pasifika Festival at Western Springs

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Bordering the Domain is the upscale suburb of Parnell, though it wasn’t always so. Once decidedly downmarket, the Victorian properties were bought and Parnell was saved from developers and the sad fate of becoming a nondescript high-rise concrete jungle. Kauri villas were restored, and the area around Parnell Road became known for its boutiques, cafes, restaurants, galleries and antique shops – and as the first suburb of Auckland to escape the Sunday trading laws. It’s a nice place to wander, window shop and more.

Nearby is the La Cigale French Market, where on weekends market stalls sell delicious New Zealand and continental produce. Two churches worth seeing are the Cathedral of St Mary, one of the world’s largest wooden churches, and the modern Cathedral of the Holy Trinity with its fine contemporary stained glass windows. Just down the road from Parnell is the suburb of Newmarket, the city’s main shopping alternative to Queen Street.

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P A R K

Both these parks are built upon Auckland’s tallest extinct volcanoes – you can read more about Auckland’s volcanoes in Chapter 5. Mt Eden, or Maungawhau, is the highest volcano in the city and commands fantastic 360 degree views from its summit. It’s one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Auckland. Recently vehicles were banned from driving to the car park at the summit, ostensibly to protect the “maunga” from damage. Whether it will make any difference is a moot point, but one thing is for sure: it’s made it difficult for the incapacitated or elderly, or those on a very tight schedule to visit it, as it entails walking at least part of the way up its 196 metres. But however you eventually reach the summit, you should definitely make the effort. And without the cars and coaches it’s actually much nicer. You can walk all the way around the crater, and the views are spectacular. From this volcano you will be able to see many others, a reminder of the tumultuous forces bubbling way beneath our city. Before Europeans settled the area, Mt Eden was used as a hilltop fort, or pa, by various Maori tribes. The lower slopes were used by Maori as gardens and living terraces. Maungawhau was abandoned

by Maori around 1700 AD. Running west from Mt Eden is the long strip of Dominion Road, which has the city’s densest and best concentrations of cheap ethnic food: regional Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian. The restaurants may often look basic, A family enjoys the ambience of Cornwall Park

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and you can bring your own wine (BYO), but in my experience the food is among best, and cheapest, Asian cuisine I’ve ever had.

One Tree Hill Domain, and neighbouring Cornwall Park, make up Auckland City’s largest park. The former is also known as Maungakiekie and can be seen from many areas of the city, distinguished by the granite obelisk that sits at the top. It was once accompanied by a Monterey pine, which gave the volcano its name. But a Maori activist cut it down and, although there’s been talk of putting another pine in its place, nothing has been planted. Maungakiekie was once a large pa occupied by around 4,000 people, drawn to the spot by the rich volcanic soil and proximity to two harbours. You can drive up to the summit where there’s limited parking, or, better still, you can walk and say baa to the sheep that graze on its slopes. The views over this section of the city, the park below, and westwards to the Manakau Harbour are worth the effort. The Stardome Observatory and Planetarium are located here, a must for any budding astronomer.

To get to One Tree Hill you drive through Cornwall Park, the entrance of which is along an avenue of old and wonderful pohutukawa trees, my favourite New Zealand tree. At Christmas, this stately avenue is covered in radiant red blooms, but at any time it’s a beautiful sight. There are many other lovely trees here, a restaurant/cafe, playing fields, and a rotunda that hosts jazz on summer weekends. Cornwall Park was given its name by Auckland’s mayor, Sir John Logan Campbell, who named it for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in 1901. Logan Campbell is buried at the summit of One Tree Hill.

Rainbows End, 22km south of the CBD on SHI, is New Zealand’s equivalent of Disneyland. Well, not really, but it is the best amusement park this country has to

Botanic Gardens Map

An evening walk through native New Zealand forest at the Botanic Gardens

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offer and it’s pretty good and perennially popular. There’s a good corkscrew roller coaster and other suitably scary rides you won’t find me riding. Rainbows End tends to add new rides every few years, the latest addition being the ghastly Stratosfear which sends you upside down, and dips and spins you around like a tumble drier at great height. But the rides are not all scary, and young children are well catered for with plenty to keep them happy.

Most cities have their botanical gardens centrally located, but not Auckland. It requires that you get on the motorway heading south.

Auckland Botanic Gardens is a little way past the Rainbows End exit.

Take the Manurewa/Hill Road exit. You’ll find that now you’ve made the effort, you’re glad you did. These are young gardens, by international standards, having only opened in 1982, but you’ll find the 64ha of gardens a lovely spot for a long walk. There are ponds and areas devoted to specific types of plants: African, NZ native forest and plants, palms, roses, camelias, magnolias and the Gondwana Arboretum. Spring is an especially rewarding time to visit, as the area around Spring Blossom Valley lives up its name. There’s a biennial sculpture exhibition with works of art set among the landscaped grounds, complementing the collection of permanent sculptures on display.

Otara Market, Saturdays 6am–12pm, 18km south on SH1, is supposedly the largest Polynesian market in the world, and it has a great vibe. Down the road from Auckland Airport are two attractions, one for adults and one for kids (and adults). Villa Maria Estate is a famous, award-winning winery that also hosts “Day on the Green” summer concerts. Bring a rug, picnic, drink the estate’s wines and watch great music in lovely surroundings.

Butterfly Creek is an animal and butterfly park with aquaria and a dinosaur kingdom, as well as some fearsome salt water crocs from Australia. Very popular and great for the kids. For big kids, 16+, try Spookers, a haunted theme park near Karaka, complete with cornfield maze and countless ghouls and chainsaw- wielding madmen to scare the living daylights out of you, if that’s your thing. My kids love it, though the appeal is beyond me..

Left: Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music at Villa Maria vineyard

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View to Orakei and Tamaki Drive from Mt Hobson

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3

When we emigrated to New Zealand we chose to live on the North Shore because of the lifestyle offered by its beaches and quick access to the northern coast. This is the reason many choose to live here, and also because it’s close to the city.

However, as the North Shore’s popularity has increased, so has the traffic gridlock in and out of the city, especially in the rush hour, but most would agree it’s a sacrifice worth putting up with – not that we have much choice. We live in hope that when a second harbour crossing is introduced it will carry trains from the North Shore.

Next page: Looking down the bays at sunset from Winstone’s Cove in Torbay

S E C T I O N

NORTH SHORE

Before the Harbour Bridge was built in 1959, there wasn’t much more to the North Shore, Devonport apart, than a collection of communities scattered near the seaside, reached by ferries from the city. Today “The Shore” is the fastest-growing area of Auckland, reaching as far north as the Hibiscus Coast at Orewa.

The intensification of housing development is most pronounced at Albany (20 minutes north of the city) and at Millwater near Orewa. The majority of the North Shore is made up of suburbs that merge seamlessly together in a gigantic sprawl. Within this conurbation are shopping centres, malls, a good choice of restaurants, especially Asian, golf courses and parks. The suburbs of most interest to the visitor will be those with beaches along the coast, and those with some historical interest such as Devonport and Birkenhead.

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D E V O N P O R T

The peninsula on which Devonport sits can be seen across the harbour from the city’s waterfront, and you can reach it by ferry in 15 minutes. There is only one road in and out of Devonport via Lake Road, and it can get very busy, slowing to a crawl on weekends.

Devonport is Auckland’s most picturesque, and one of its oldest, suburbs (founded in 1840). Unlike so much of suburban Auckland, it has managed to retain its charm and been spared the worst of its development excesses. Indeed, so well preserved is Devonport that it’s a magnet for tourists and people like us who come to delight in its waterfront views, old colonial villas, quaint shops, galleries, and spectacular vistas as seen from the volcanic cones of Mt Victoria and North Head.

Maori are believed to have settled these two hills around 1350, while European settlement began in the mid-1800s. Shipbuilding became a major industry and the deep-water anchorage made it suitable as the base for the navy, which it remains to this day.

Afternoon sunshine plays on Devonport’s old houses, viewed from Mt Victoria

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Devonport’s main street is Victoria Road, along which, and leading off, you’ll find bookshops, galleries, cafes, bars, clothes shops, and miscellaneous emporiums of interest. At the bottom of Victoria Road is the local landmark of the Esplanade Hotel, a good spot to watch the comings and goings over a glass of something refreshing from a pavement table.

Diagonally opposite the hotel is the library, and one of the most spectacular trees you are likely to see anywhere, an enormous ficus with massive aerial roots. From the Esplanade Hotel, cross the road to the ferry terminal or walk along Queens Parade towards the naval base.

Alternatively, take a stroll in the opposite direction along King Edward Parade and admire the seaside views and lovely old villas lining the road.

At the end of the Parade, below North Head, you’ll find the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum.

Mt Victoria is the tallest volcano on the North Shore and the one you’ll see as you drive towards the town from Takapuna. Known to Maori as Takarunga, the hill was once a Maori fort, or pa. There’s limited parking at the top. Alternatively, to walk up will take about 15–20 minutes. The views towards Auckland City and the Waitemata Harbour are fantastic. A strange feature are the painted mushrooms that cover the summit. They are actually vents for a water pumping station which lies beneath.

North Head has my favourite volcanic view, situated as it is at the end of the peninsula, with sweeping 360-degree views over the Hauraki Gulf, Rangitoto, Cheltenham Beach, the inner harbour and Auckland City. It’s important historically, firstly as a Maori fort and secondly as a coastal defence site with gun emplacements, underground bunkers and tunnels, all open to the public at no charge. The military installations date from 1888 when the country feared a Russian invasion. These were enhanced during both World Wars. Among them is an 8-inch disappearing gun, one of only a handful in the world. You can walk right around the summit, either at the top or on a circular track lower down. It’s a fantastic spot for a DOC North Head Fact Sheet Two ladies enjoy the delights of Cheltenham Beach in Devonport

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D E V O N P O R T picnic, or to watch occasional sailing regattas or the arrival of a massive ocean liner as it steers its way into port. Parking is available halfway up.

If you get hot after all that walking, take the steps down to Cheltenham Beach, a beautiful stretch of golden sand backed by old villas. We often come here in the summer to swim and watch the procession of maritime traffic as it passes by the beach. Be warned: at low tide you have to walk a long way out to get even waist deep.

Nearby Narrow Neck Beach, on the northern side of the peninsula, is another good spot to spend a lazy summer’s day. Behind the beach is Woodhall Park and Waitemata Golf Course. Above the beach, it’s worth exploring Fort Takapuna Reserve, where you can see another example of coastal defences never having had to fire shots in anger. This is also the venue for the biennial Sculpture On Shore exhibition, a sculpture trail above the sea in the grounds of the reserve, with a fantastic variety of original and wacky artworks.

Waitemata Golf Course and Devonport homes, early morning from Mt Victoria

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T A K A P U N A This is the main suburb before you reach Devonport, sitting at the beginning of the peninsula. It’s a busy residential and shopping area with a great beach backed by a grassy reserve and stupendous seafront homes – try strolling along the beach just to see how the other half lives. At the northern end of the beach by the boat ramp and car park is the Takapuna Reef Fossil Forest, a unique sight visible at low tide. About 200,000 years ago the Pupuke volcano erupted, sending lava streaming through a standing forest at the water’s edge. As the lava cooled, it solidified, leaving hollow imprints of the trees. The explosion crater formed by the

Takapuna Fossilised Forest, hollow imprints of trees caused by a volcanic eruption

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volcano is now Lake Pupuke, a large, round body of water in the centre of the town, surrounded by parkland and homes. People sail and kayak on the lake. On one side of the lake is the PumpHouse Theatre and Gallery, which also has a cafe – a pleasant spot for some refreshments or a picnic. Behind the grassy reserve at Takapuna beach, a number of new restaurants and bars have been built along the beachfront, offering a great outlook to enjoy with a meal or a cold beer. Food and drink choices in Takapuna are probably the best in any suburb on the North Shore.

Above: Grappling with a trickier part of the North Shore Coastal Walkway at Takapuna

Between Takapuna and Milford, the next suburb along on the eastern coast, lies part of the North Shore Coastal Walkway. This section to Milford is especially popular. Starting from the fossilised forest at the Takapuna boat ramp, take the path north and keep going till you hit Milford Beach. It’s a fascinating walk best appreciated at low tide when the volcanic origins of this bit of coastline are most apparent. Parts of the track are rough and uneven and entail climbing over rocks, while the extravagant seaside houses built above it add interest to the walk.

Left: Ready to sail, Milford Beach

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Above: Queen Elizabeth II sails past the East Coast Bays

Previous page: Sunrise over Torbay

Once you get to Milford – worth stopping in really only for the beach and reserve, or a wander around the marina and the town’s mall – head north on Beach Road and you’ll pass through a succession of seaside communities all with the word “Bay” in their name: Castor Bay, Campbells Bay, Mairangi Bay, Murrays Bay, Rothesay Bay, Browns Bay and Torbay. Collectively, and through parliamentary representation, they are known as the East Coast Bays. You can walk along this entire stretch of coastline, at low tide, on

the North Shore Coastal Walkway. Each suburb has its own special character, boasting a laid-back vibe, beautiful and very expensive beachfront homes, and high streets with cafes, restaurants, shops and bakeries. Many homes, and parts of the walkway, run along the cliffs that are a feature of the area, affording occasional views through bushes, trees and gardens to the sea. The beaches are all good, and safe for swimming, though when it comes to picturesque, our local beach in Torbay, Waiake Beach, takes first prize.

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The Coromandel mountains at sunrise from our deck in Torbay

From the clifftop millionaire mansions in Torbay, it’s a short walk down to Long Bay Regional Park. Mairangi Bay has good eateries, while Browns Bay has the best overall shopping in The Bays. There are British-style pubs serving real English beer at Speakers Corner in Browns Bay, the British Isles in Rothesay Bay and Mad Dogs and Englishmen in nearby Wairau Valley.

There are a huge number of expat Brits and South Africans on the North Shore (Browns Bay is nicknamed “Brownsbayfontein” after its South African community), as well as Asians from South Korea and China. Each expat community has brought a flavour of home to the Shore with their own speciality shops and restaurants.

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B A Y S

A cruise ship steams into Auckland past the Bays on an unsettled morning

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A L B A N Y

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W A I R A U

V A L L E Y

If it’s shopping you crave on the Shore, then you could try Albany, just west of Browns Bay, a brand-new town in the making, from what was only a few decades ago empty countryside. Or you can go to Wairau Valley, part of the Glenfield conurbation five minutes’ drive from Albany. Although they both offer extensive retail opportunities, they also have extensive business parks. Wairau is older than Albany and is especially well served by car dealerships and all things to do with home improvements, DIY and furnishings. If you need a new lounge suite or want to do over your backyard, head to Wairau. Albany also has its fair share of home improvement/DIY stores, but what is happening there is on much more ambitious scale. Of significance are the Westfield shopping mall with its multiplex cinema,

Westfield Mall in Albany, part of a huge development programme taking place in what was recently rural Auckland

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and the Albany Megacentre, two huge retail developments abutting North Harbour Stadium, an excellent if underused facility that hosts rugby, football and the occasional concert. The area around the mall, empty for years, is now seeing a surge in development, with plans for construction of more retail emporiums and fast food outlets, a fancy new swimming pool, and apartments. This area’s first tenant was the Albany Park and Ride Bus Station, currently the quickest and most convenient way of getting into the city via the Northern Expressway. Opposite the Mall and Stadium is the impressive campus of Massey University. Off the Old Albany Highway is one of the best golf courses in Auckland, North Shore Golf Club, which comprises three sets of nine holes.

Just northwest of Albany are the growing suburbs of Greenhithe and Hobsonville Point, most notable for their location along the banks of Lucas Creek, a tidal estuary that empties into the Waitemata Harbour. This is a pretty spot with yachts and boats moored on the placid water. At Glenfield Westfield Mall car park, about 10 minutes’ drive from Albany Mall, there is a weekly Sunday Night Market which is really a celebration of cheap and yummy food, with dozens of stalls serving mainly Asian cuisine but others too. Well worth a visit!

Above: North Shore Golf Club

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Right: Lucas Creek looking towards Albany, North Harbour Stadium and Browns Bay

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N O R T H C O T E

These two old suburbs face the city on the northern side of the Harbour Bridge and, although they are now mostly swamped by newish housing, each still retains its historic origins and as such is worth a visit. To reach them, take the Onewa Road exit from SH1.

From Onewa Road, turn left into Queen Street in Northcote. This will take you to the most worthwhile area to visit as well as the Bridgeway Cinema, an independent arthouse cinema showing movies you won’t find in the commercial multiplexes, with an adjoining cafe and licensed restaurant. Have a drink or something to eat before wandering through to a movie, or vice versa. Opposite the Bridgeway is one of Auckland’s best, most awarded fine dining restaurants, The Engine Room.

It’s worth taking a walk past these two establishments towards the Harbour Bridge. The area has many old villas and some nice views of the harbour. You can actually walk under the bridge itself. If you fancy a refreshing ale, try the Northcote Tavern on Queen Street.

The modern centre of Northcote to the north is quite different to this but worth visiting for the Asian restaurants and supermarkets at the Northcote Shopping Centre.

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The Hinemoana, early one morning on Lucas Creek in Greenhithe. Lucas Creek is a broad waterway running through Albany and Greenhithe and emptying into the Waitemata

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N O R T H C O T E

Continuing straight up Onewa Road you will come to Birkenhead Village. This is a pleasant area with shops, cafes and some good-value restaurants. Following Hinemoa Street down the hill will take you to pretty Hinemoa Park next to the ferry terminal and yacht club. The roads off Hinemoa Street boast some lovely old villas, and wandering the neigbourhood makes for a pleasant excursion. Take Rawene Road off Hinemoa Street down to Chelsea Sugar Refinery and a

View to the city from Northcote

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beautiful 54-hectare park of native fauna and flora with 9 hectares of lakes. 
 This is great spot to walk and feed the swans, spy pied shags in the trees, or picnic in the meadows alongside the four historic cottages lining the driveway to the refinery. Chelsea Sugar Refinery, in distinctive orange, has been making our sugar since 1884, but is not open to the public.

C H A P T E R

3

REGIONAL PARKS

Piha Beach in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park 44

W A L K I N G

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Hiking/tramping/walking – whatever you want to call it – in New Zealand is a fantastic experience, with thousands of well-maintained tracks of varying degrees of difficulty or simplicity just waiting for you. And it’s all free! Besides, when you are in one of the world’s most beautiful countries, the best way to appreciate it is on foot. Enjoyment of the regional parks featured in this chapter will be enhanced by walking as much of them as you can. The Department of Conservation’s (DOC’s) website is packed with information on walks and places to go throughout New Zealand. It lists most walks and hikes by degrees of difficulty. DOC also produces maps and brief guides, including a guide to the Auckland region. There is a brochure on Auckland Day Walks which you can see here. There are many other websites dedicated to walking and hiking in NZ, and to the left are links to some of them. They have detailed descriptions of tracks, some with interactive or 3D maps.

Wilderness Magazine

Epic Little Missions

A couple dwarfed at Otakamiro Point in Muriwai Regional Park

The experts at Wilderness Magazine have detailed maps and descriptions of virtually every walk in New Zealand. To access these, simply register and buy a “trip” (a walk guide and map) for just NZ$1, which you can then download. to your mobile device.

B E A C H

S E C T I O N

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EAST COAST

B R E A K

At last count there were 35 regional parks in the Auckland region, most of them set in glorious countryside along the coast. They vary greatly in size and character and are perhaps the largest jewel in Auckland’s crown. When it comes to walking, hiking, swimming, fishing, surfing, mountain biking, hang-gliding and picnicking, we really are spoilt for choice. Every year thousands of Auckland schoolchildren spend educational days – sometimes camping overnight – in the parks, learning about the value of an unspoilt, well-maintained environment and the simple beauty of nature; future custodians undergoing early training. The parks are all managed by Auckland Council and we ratepayers contribute to their upkeep. Most of the land set aside for the parks has been purchased and developed by the Council for the enjoyment of future generations of Aucklanders. This chapter concentrates on beaches, as most of the finest are located in the regional parks, and some have had the parks developed around them. It starts with the East Coast parks north of Auckland, which my family frequents, followed by the West Coast. Regional parks south of Auckland, including the Hunua Ranges, are covered in the chapter on Rural Auckland.

To travel north of Auckland on the SH1 you will need to use the Northern Gateway Toll Road just north of Orewa, which will incur a toll of $2 each way. You can pay online before or after you travel. Or you can avoid the toll road by travelling on the old scenic coast road through Orewa and Waiwera.

Clockwise from top: Mahurangi Regional Park, Shakespear, and Long Bay

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L O N G

B A Y

Auckland’s most popular park receives more than a million visitors a year. It’s located 20km north of Auckland, between Torbay and Okura, and lies within the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve. This is our local beach where we swim and go for long walks along the sand and the beautiful coastal track that leads from the beach over the cliffs to the Okura River Estuary.

The park includes two other bays, Grannys Bay and Pohutukawa Bay. On public holidays and sunny weekends the park gets packed, and the grassy picnic areas a hive of activity, with delicious smells wafting from barbecues. At the southern end of the beach is the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre, which offers a host of outdoor activities and environmental education to schools especially, and other interested groups and organisations.

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THINGS TO DO Swim: The sea at Long Bay is safe and calm, although east coast swells can turn the placid waters into a surfer’s delight. In busy summer months lifeguards are on duty.

Kayak: This is a great spot to launch a kayak and explore the adjoining bays and the Okura River Estuary at high tide.

Snorkel: The area is a protected marine reserve and provides good opportunities for observing life under the water in the Hauraki Gulf.

Walk: You can either stroll a few lengths of the sandy beach, or walk up the coastal track to the Okura River Estuary. This walk is hilly, with good tracks laid down, and the views are remarkable – highly recommended. At nearby Okura, on the other side of the river, the Okura Bush Walkway (3 hours return) runs through the coastal forest of the Okura River Estuary to Stillwater. Quite hilly and tiring but worthwhile.

Picnic: A great spot for picnics among the extensive and shaded grassy areas behind the beach. There are picnic tables, areas you can book for an event (people even get married here), and gas BBQs you can rent, as well as toilet and washing facilities.

Dusk reflected in Vaughan’s Stream

For more info on Long Bay, including walking tracks, click here

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NORTH SHORE COASTAL WALK This 23km, seven-hour walk begins at Long Bay and ends in Devonport. It hugs coastal pathways which alternate between tracks along the beach and others that climb over cliffs along the North Shore. Various sections are only accessible at low tide. If you don’t have seven hours to spare you can always tackle one section at a time. It’s an intriguing excursion with great views, affording interesting glimpses of grand coastal properties. For more info on the walk, visit the Te Araroa site here.

Top: Long Bay coastal track AC Long Bay Map Getting There

Right: Torbay and Long Bay, where the coastal track leads over the cliffs to Okura

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S H A K E S P E A R Not named after William, the Bard, but the Shakespear family who once owned the land, Shakespear is a delightful, pretty park set on the tip of the Whangaparoa Peninsula. It’s a 40-minute drive from the city. We come here to picnic, swim and walk off our lunch on the tracks that lead over the hills. The views are fantastic. Shakespear is also an open sanctuary: you have to pass through an electronically controlled pestproof fence to enter the main area of the park. This has been built to keep out predators like rats and stoats so that birds which have established themselves in the park from the nearby island nature sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi can flourish.

Getting There

Left: View through cabbage trees to Te Hauruhi Bay

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THINGS TO DO Swim: Shakespear has three calm, safe beaches, the best and busiest of which is idyllic Te Hauruhi Bay, a crescent of golden sand backed by parkland. At low tide the water is very shallow and you have to walk out a long way to get even waist deep. Okoromai Bay is even more tidal, with exposed mudflats, and you can only swim at high tide. Army Bay at the park’s entrance on the other side of the peninsula is good for snorkelling and popular for fishing and boat launching.

Kayak: Te Haruhi Bay is an ideal place to launch a kayak, and this sheltered area is good for novices. People launch here to kayak 4km to Tiritiri Matangi.

Windsurf, kitesurf, paraglide: When the wind is right, Shakespear is a fantastic place to try all three of these airborne and semi-airborne activities. Wings and Waves will teach you how. So will Skywings. Take your pick.

Walk: For me, the walks and views are Shakespear’s biggest attraction. There’s a network of tracks that lead over the hills and farmland – come in spring and you’ll see lambs skipping about, The tracks vary in length between

half an hour and three hours. The views over the Hauraki Gulf northward, and south towards the Auckland city skyline, are wonderful.

Bike: Lookout Track and Tiri Tiri Tracks double as walking and biking tracks, and the views are equally splendid.

Birds: This is the avian corridor to Tiritiri, and you may see karikari, bellbirds, tui, dotterel, kereru and rosella.

Picnic: An extensive area behind Te Haruhi Bay provides perfect picnic and BBQ spots. The area has many trees offering shade, and wide open areas for ball games.

Camp: You can camp at the very eastern end of Te Haruhi Bay and really get a feel for the beauty and tranquillity of this park. Booking is available up to six months ahead. There are a few motorhome sites available too.

For more information on Shakespear, including camping and walking track information, click here.

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S H A K E S P E A R

From this field at the top of the park, signs point the way

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ARC SHAKESPEAR MAP

W E N D E R H O L M

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About 10 minutes’ drive from Orewa, situated at the mouth of the Puhoi River, Wenderholm was the first Auckland Regional Park and remains one of the prettiest.

On sunny summer weekends it’s also one of the busiest, with its extensive grassed picnic areas as well as camping and motorhome spots often crowded. The park comprises several distinct features: the Puhoi River and estuary with mangrove flats, which is very tidal, and the main sandy beach backed by a magnificent grove of gnarled, ancient pohutukawa trees. Above the park on the south side is a hill of coastal forest with walking tracks affording magnificent views. An old colonial homestead, Couldrey House, is open to the public and houses a museum.

Getting There

AC Wenderholm Map

W E N D E R H O L M THINGS TO DO Swim: Wenderholm has a 900m-long sandy beach which is mostly calm and safe for swimming, although you should not swim near the mouth of the Puhoi River because of strong currents.

Kayak: The Puhoi River provides wonderful kayaking around the estuary and along the river itself, but don’t try it too close to low tide or you’re likely to get stuck. There’s a boat ramp launch near the car park on the estuary.

Boat: A great place to take a leisurely cruise, but don’t attempt it three hours each side of low tide, or else...

Walk: The most rewarding walk is the 2km Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi Track up the hill through preserved coastal forest to a lookout above the beach, with fantastic views to the Hauraki Gulf.

It’s a tiring climb but worth the effort. Try the 4km Perimeter Track through forest and down the other side of the hill to the Waiwera Estuary.

There are also short, flat walks available through parkland, and along the beach and estuary. All tracks are clearly marked.

Picnic: This is one of our preferred places to set up a picnic. Wenderholm exudes the perfect tranquil ambience to suit a lazy afternoon sprawled by the picnic rug, perhaps exerting enough energy to use one of the park’s BBQs. Our favourite spot is by the estuary, but you are spoilt for choice, and bookable sites are available.

Camp: The Schischka Campground next to the Puhoi Estuary is bookable and suitable for motorhomes and caravans.

For more information, especially on walking tracks at Wenderholm, visit the Auckland Council website

Near the summit of a steep climb up the Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi Track you'll find this viewpoint with a map showing the offshore islands. Worth the walk.

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M A H U R A N G I

One of the most picturesque of Auckland’s regional parks, Mahurangi is divided into East Mahurangi and West Mahurangi and, unless you have access to a boat or kayak, or fancy a long drive via Warkworth, West Mahurangi is where you’ll go.

But that’s fine – it’s stunning, with glorious views and great walks. The main beach, Sullivan’s Bay, is named after sea captain John Sullivan, who married a Maori girl. Their descendants farmed the land for about a hundred years, and the land is still farmed today. Come in the spring to see the lambs. It’s about a 40-minute drive from the city and is popular with motorhome visitors, and there is also a campsite.

A couple make the steep climb to Tungutu Point

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Beautiful, clear water at Mahurangi makes it a delight for swimming

THINGS TO DO Swim: Sullivan’s Bay is a lovely beach with calm, clear water that is great for the kids to snorkel in. This is where most people choose to swim as it’s next to the car park and campground and motorhome area. Te Muri Bay involves a trek over the hill and can only be accessed at low tide on foot, like Mita Bay, the picturesque beach below the lookout at Tungutu Point.

Kayak: A fantastic area for kayaking, with easy launching at Sullivan’s Bay. There are bays, inlets and islands to explore, as well the rest of the park at Mahurangi East.

Boat: Boating is extremely popular, and given the geography of the area, that’s not surprising.

Walk: There are three great walks at Mahurangi West, all well signposted and hilly.

From the car park above Sullivan’s Bay you can set out for Te Muri Bay and back up over the hill in a loop.The exertion will reward you with terrific views. Mita Bay is a 2km loop track with a steep climb up to the lookout at Tungutu Point. At low tide, walk along the rocks at Sullivan’s Bay to Pudding Island rock, which looks like a giant shark’s fin, and you’ll find great rock pools.

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Getting There

Mahurangi Map

Picnic: The best place we’ve picnicked at Mahurangi was among the sheep at Tungutu Point, with its amazing views. But anywhere on or behind the beach under the pohutukawa trees is good.

Camp: Sullivan’s Bay has both a traditional campsite at the northern end and a motorhome area in the grassy car park. Te Muri Bay and Mita Bay campsites are walk-in or boat-in only. At Mahurangi East, Lagoon Bay is your destination.

For more info, visit Auckland Council’s website.

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T A W H A R A N U I

The further north you travel the better the beaches become, and Tawharanui is one of our favourites.

It’s about an hour to 90 minutes from the city, in light traffic, and certainly worth the drive. It sits on the end of a peninsula east of Matakana and, like Shakespear, is an open sanctuary with pest-proof fences. It can get packed at weekends, and the car park spills over to fields behind the beach, meaning you may have to lug your cooler uphill. Oh well. Why would you come here? To swim in the cold, crystal-clear water, snorkel and surf, camp, and revel in the glory of this pristine slice of paradise.

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THINGS TO DO Swim: Swimming is the main attraction, and while Tawharanui may not have the warmest water, when it’s as clear and beautiful as this, who cares?

There are three beautiful, sandy beaches here, the busiest being Anchor Bay, the middle one.

Surf: When the swells are up, surfers flock here. Check surf conditions at Surf Forecast Snorkel/dive: A marine reserve and crystal-clear water. What more do you need?

Kayak: Good opportunities to paddle around this beautiful piece of coastline.

Birds: Rare native species like saddleback and North Island robin, fantail and kaka. At night, kiwi and morepork, New Zealand’s owl.

Bike: Good biking opportunities along some farm tracks and over the hills.

Walk: A number of tracks afford lovely views – one to three hours’ walk, and lots of flat beach. See Auckland Council walking track information here.

Picnic: No official sites, so do your own thing.

Camp: Two sites, a tent-only campground, and another called an All Modes Campground, so bring your motorhome or caravan.

Getting There

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AC Tawharanui Map

P A K I R I A fantastic stretch of glorious golden sand north of the village of Leigh which Auckland Council purchased for our enjoyment in 2005, buying up more land in 2010. With a total of almost 180ha of prime coastal wilderness, Pakiri never feels crowded.

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THINGS TO DO Swim: Well, that’s the main reason for coming here. The surf conditions can be subject to rips, so be aware.

Surf: Plenty of scope at Pakiri. Check out conditions here Horse-ride: With all this space, horse-riding is a popular pastime. Pakiri Beach Horse Rides are the people to contact. They offer everything from a two-hour ride to a half or full day, a two-day overnight safari, and even threeday and five-day rides.

Camp: Pakiri Beach Holiday Park offers caravan and tent sites, as well as chalets and cabins.

Getting There

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T E

A R A I

Like Pakiri just to the south, Te Arai is another example of a stunning northern beach, but we think it’s even better. Definitely one of our favourite places, it’s also easier to get to than Pakiri. The beach stretches all the way to Mangawhai Heads, so it aways feels pretty empty. A controversial decision to develop an area behind the beach with 46 luxury houses and an exclusive golf course was recently approved after years of argument. The New Zealand fairy tern, of which only 11 breeding pairs remain, has its habitat at Te Arai and it was felt the development might endanger further their chances of survival. Most visitors are unlikely to even notice the development, such is the size of the beach. Financially, playing golf there is out of the reach of most.

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Surfing at Te Arai is a major reason people come here

Getting There

THINGS TO DO Swim: The water is wonderful at Te Arai, clear and cold, and you leave it feeling invigorated, as though you’ve just experienced something special, which you have. Most people congregate at Te Arai Point where the main car park is, but there’s heaps of space on the sand. On the point you’ll find a natural pool that is great for the kids and, on the right of the point, a rocky beach covered in seashells. You can also access the middle section of the beach off the Mangawhai Heads road.

Surf: My nephew regularly drives all the way from Auckland at the end of the day just to surf here. Te Arai is very popular among the surfing set. From the point you’ll get a great view of the action. You can check daily surf conditions here.

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W A I T A K E R E

S E C T I O N

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WEST COAST

R A N G E S

Within the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park you’ll find Auckland’s most spectacular scenery. Covering an area of 16,000 hectares, this is a true wilderness and it feels quite remote, far removed from the bustling city just half an hour’s drive away. Indeed, the Wild West is an applicable moniker for this park of rugged hills carpeted by dense, regenerating native forest, with streams and waterfalls, and precipitous cliffs towering above black sand beaches where the surf thunders in from the Tasman Sea. It’s on this coast that the weather arrives on the prevailing westerlies, sunny days suddenly turning cloudy, squalls of rain borne on the wind which can disappear as unexpectedly they arrive. If it’s a good walk you’re after, this is the place to come, with over 250km of walking tracks, some of which afford amazing, if vertiginous views.

At the Arataki Visitor Centre (which you should visit) you can pick up an excellent Recreation & Track Guide to walks in the park. A blog with a list and description of Waitakere tracks can also be found here, and nztramper’s site here. The surf beaches are the other main reason people choose to visit the Waitakeres, and most of them are covered in this section in alphabetical order, from Anawhata to Whatipu. The Waitakere Ranges park’s origins began a hundred years ago when areas of land began to be purchased for recreation and conservation purposes by Auckland Council, and the park grew further through generous private donations of land. The gateway to the Waitakeres is Titirangi, an attractive suburb nestled in forested hills overlooking the city. It has a good selection of cafes and restaurants, and has long been favoured by artists and writers and those seeking a slightly alternative lifestyle. Titirangi has one of the country’s best golf courses, too.

Clockwise from top: Bethells Beach, South Piha, and Piha sunset

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Waitakere Map Above: Detail from Maori Pou shark carving on Karamatura Loop Track where there’s a 5–6 hour walk to be had

This Auckland Council video of The Hillary Trail – Scenic Tour gives a great overview of the Waitakere Ranges. See more about the trail on page 33

Left: View looking down on Karekare Beach and onwards to Whatipu, from the Mercer Bay Loop Track near Piha

KAURI DIEBACK Before the Waitakere Ranges became the recreational paradise we know today the area was plundered for its wood, especially the mighty kauri tree. Many of the trails you can walk today had their origins as logging tracks. By the time logging ceased in 1942, only 2% of Waitakere’s forest had been left untouched, though you’d never realise it now.

But the 21st century has brought with it a new, deadly threat to the remaining kauri trees that is known as Kauri Dieback, a fungus-like disease caused by Phytophthora taxon Agathis (or PTA). Microscopic spores in the soil infect kauri roots, damaging tissues which carry nutrients to the tree. It kills kauri trees of any age, even the most ancient and mighty, so it’s very important you observe these preventative measures when tramping in the area: 1) Clean shoes, tyres and equipment of all visible soil and plant material before and after visiting kauri forest.

2) Use cleaning stations installed on major tracks, where disinfectant is provided.

3) Stay on the track and off the kauri’s shallow roots.

4) Keep your dog on its leash.

For more information on Kauri Dieback, visit: www.kauridieback.co.nz

Right: Disinfecting footwear at a cleaning station before entering kauri forest on the Cascade Kauri track Far right: A mighty kauri which escaped the loggers but is now threatened by a deadly new disease

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This is near the entrance to the strangely named but excellent Auckland City Loop Walk. To get here you must drive though the middle of Waitakere Golf Course.

THE HILLARY TRAIL

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Named after the most famous New Zealander of them all, Sir Edmund Hillary, this trail challenges you to conquer a four-day, three-night tramp over 75km of rugged countryside. It’s not Everest but might seem like it: a tough walk, taking in the entire coastline of the Waitakeres, from the Arataki Visitor Centre to Muriwai.

You can read more about the Hillary Trail here. Some people even run the trail, so if that interests you, read this. Of course, you can just do it bit by bit, in chunks.

Waitakere Ranges & Hillary Trail Map by transportblog.co.nz

A N A W H A T A

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Anawhata is one of the Waitakere’s most isolated beaches, a favourite of Sir Edmund Hillary, who used to come here and to Piha to recharge his batteries in between ascending the world’s great peaks. We’ve only been here once, on a very hot day, and I have to admit we didn’t have the energy to make it all the way down to the beach from the carpark as the climb back up looked too daunting in the heat with no water. But if you do make it down through the woodland pathways, you’ll be rewarded by a near-deserted, beautiful beach frequented by surfers who reckon it’s worth the climb. There are no lifeguards on patrol.

Anawhata is accessed along a dirt road off the main Piha Road which affords great views of Piha. There are numerous walks in the area. For more info on these, see this link. Wilderness Magazine details a four- to five-hour walk between Anawhata and Bethells, part of the Hillary Trail.

See if it’s right for you.

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K A R E K A R E

Karekare is perhaps the most atmospheric of the West Coast surf beaches, with its small, isolated settlement of houses blending into thickly wooded hillsides, and the dramatic form of the Watchman rock looking over the black sand and pounding waves. It was here that the bleak beach scenes in Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning film The Piano were shot. To reach the beach you must walk from the car park alongside a lagoon where the Karekare Surf Club is located.

Like all the beaches on this stretch of coast, swimming can be hazardous, but they are a magnet for surfers – check conditions here.

Lifeguards are on duty some of the time. The distinctive rock jutting out of the ocean like a shark’s fin is called Paratahi Island (‘The child that stands apart’). Karekare Falls is a delightful woodland grotto with a waterfall about a 10minute walk up the road from the car park: cross the wooden bridge by the car park, head uphill, and a path down to the waterfall is marked on your left. This is a great area for walks and there are many trails, some of which provide brilliant views above the beach. Two to try are Comans Track which is tiring going uphill and heads north behind the Watchman above Mercer Bay, and Zion Hill Track which runs south for nearly 8km.

For more information on Karekare’s walks, click on this Auckland Council link.

The Watchman rock. I once watched a man climb to the top and leap off – only to launch a parachute

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View of Karekare beach from Comans Track looking south

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M U R I W A I

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M U R I W A I

This is one of my favourite places in New Zealand. Every time I drive the 45 minutes to Muriwai from my home in Torbay I’m glad I took the trouble to do so. Often the reason for my visit is to play golf on Auckland’s only true links course – book at Muriwai GC here. Otherwise we come here to walk and take visitors to see the famous gannet colony at Ōtakamiro Point, soaking up the amazing views from the coastal pathways and viewing platforms above the birds. From this vantage point you can see surfers in action at Maori Bay and on Muriwai’s main beach. It’s one of the region’s most popular surf locations – check conditions here and here. If you would like to learn to surf, Muriwai Surf School will show you how. From the platforms you can watch fishermen on Flat Rock, braving the danger of the sea washing them off. Muriwai’s beach is huge, perfect for horse-riding. At low tide, take the steps down from the gannet car park (the other car park is by the beach and has a good cafe) and walk down the path to Maori Bay. At sea level the scale of the cliffs around you and the rock pinnacle where the gannets nest makes you feel very small indeed. If you want to walk, there are a number of tracks – see DOC’s page here. There’s an ambience at Muriwai that I find unique. Maybe it’s the constant soundtrack of the sea and the calling of the gannets, or the mist that rolls in off the ocean and the ever-changing weather; perhaps the sheer enormity of the surroundings and the feeling of nature’s wilderness at her most majestic. Muriwai is the West Coast’s most populous settlement, though you wouldn’t know it; many of the homes are set among the trees and on the clifftops overlooking the beach. The views they must have from their verandas...

Preceding page: A photographer with a very large lens trains it on Muriwai’s nesting gannets Right: Walking down to an observation deck above the gannet colony as stormy weather seems set to move in

MURIWAI MAP

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MURIWAI’S GANNETS At Muriwai you can visit the world’s most accessible gannet colony. We’ve been there many, many times.

The 1,200 pairs of Australasian gannets breed between September and March before heading off to Australia, though some stay behind to keep the resident fur seals company. The chicks hatch in October and this is the best time to visit as the colony launches into a frantic overdrive of flying and feeding their demanding offspring. Gannets really are extraordinary birds, dressed in a beautiful sleek plumage, noisy, rude and argumentative yet graceful and skilful in the air; true aerial artists. You can see their aerial acrobatics close-up as observation decks built just above the cliffside colony allow wonderful views of the birds plunging into the ocean and balancing and breaking in the air before landing on ledges and rocky stacks. As with so many places in New Zealand, the information on the areas you’re visiting is outstanding and so well done. Here, the gannet information is beautifully illustrated on a series of tiles strategically placed around the colony.

Tap on photo, right, to see gallery.

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Outgoing tide at Maori Bay

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A walker sets out for an evening stroll, viewed from Lion Rock

P I H A

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Piha is Auckland’s most famous surf beach, renowned for its dangerous rips and unpredictability. So dangerous can it be that a reality TV series called Piha Rescue is made each year, focusing on the work of the local life-saving crews – which says all that needs be said about the perils of swimming here. But that doesn’t stop hordes of holidaymakers coming to this beach every summer, some of whom get into difficulties after downing one too many beers in our unforgiving, burning sun. Of course, Piha is quite safe if you are sensible and swim between the flags. Piha hosts international surf championships and it’s a mecca for surfers of all abilities – daily surf report here and here. The Piha Surf Shop makes beautiful handcrafted boards, and rents out boards from $25 for three hours. Piha also hosts surf-boat races in which crews battle each other and mighty waves with oars, but often come off second best to the sea. Piha has grown into a large community, some commuting to the city, others having built ‘baches’ (Kiwi for holiday homes) to enjoy weekends and summers from their properties on the hillsides, some of which have the most spectacular views imaginable.

Top: Walkers try to avoid getting their feet wet on a beautiful winter evening Bottom: Summer flowers carpet the dunes at Piha North

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P I H A

Indeed, your first view of Piha as you round the bend is perhaps the most dramatic in all of Auckland. A parking spot on the side of the road enables you to enjoy the view at leisure.

There’s a permanent population here, with a school and a village store.

Recently, after much controversy, a cafenear the beach was opened, and very welcome to visitors it is too! A favoured Piha activity is to climb the iconic monolith of Lion Rock which splits the beach into two parts, North and South Piha. There’s a path that takes you near the top, if you can stomach the precipitousness of the climb. There are many great walks around Piha affording fantastic views, but if you don’t fancy climbing hills the beach makes for a good workout.

This link to walks and tracks at Piha has a good map. There’s also a good walk at Whites Beach, one bay north.

Top: Bach windows behind the beach reflect the sunset

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P I H A

Piha beach viewed from the Anawhata Road

Right: Climbing into history up Lion Rock. You can’t reach the very top any more due to landslips, but you’ll find it high enough

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T E

H E N G A / B E T H E L L S

B E A C H

For most people, this awesome beach is simply known as Bethells. It is scenic, wild and exposed, with thundering surf and dangerous rips.

It’s less visited than the other West Coast beaches, but at the weekend the only car park – with its caravan cafe (very tasty food, but only open weekends) – gets pretty busy. There are two beaches: Bethells, known for its iconic life-saving hut, and O’Neills Bay just north, and both are popular with surfers. Check surf conditions here. Swimming is dangerous and should only be attempted between flags when lifeguards are on duty.

This is a fantastic place for a walk along the beach, but if you wan’t something more, the Te Henga Walkway (now part of the Hillary Trail) will take you up and over the clifftops to Muriwai. This 9.92km, 3–4 hour walk will reward you with stunning views, but also scary drops.

A surfer returns to shore after a workout at Bethells Beach

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H E N G A / B E T H E L L S

B E A C H

81 Te Henga Walkway Map Another area of Bethells, not so well known, is the Lake Wainamu Track which takes you to the aforementioned lake via a stream pathway, above which sits an enormous inland sand dune. We have usually skipped the stream and headed through the gate straight onto the sand dune itself. It’s quite extraordinary, like being in a mini desert among the bush-clad hills.

People take cardboard or boogie boards to slide down the sandy slopes. To find it, as you enter Bethells you’ll come around a bend and over a small bridge crossing the Waiti Stream. You will likely see cars parked on the lefthand side of the road where the trail starts.

Ally races up a huge inland sand dune above Lake Wainamu

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H E N G A / B E T H E L L S

B E A C H

Where the river meets the sea

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View over colonising pingao grass towards the life-saving station

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W H A T I P U

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W H A T I P U

Whatipu is wild, remote, windswept and a wonderful place to take the family for an outing with a difference.

A scientific reserve, Whatipu is a haven for wildlife, with a salt marsh as well as freshwater wetlands. No dogs allowed. At the base of the cliffs you’ll find a series of caves, one of which was used as a ballroom/ dance floor during the timber milling era when this entire coastline was exploited for its rich timber resources. There’s a track there from the carpark. The sea at Whatipu is dangerous and you must not swim here. It was the location of New Zealand’s greatest maritime disaster in 1863 when HMS Orpheus was wrecked at the mouth of the Manakau Harbour with the loss of 189 lives. The walks at Whatipu are great, especially along the beach and pathways through the vegetation of the scientific reserve, and to the caves. If you want to stay overnight at this magical place, Whatipu Lodge and Campground offer you the opportunity.

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Preceding page: Dune grasses sway in the breeze on a fine winter’s afternoon Left: Ninepin rock with marine beacon

W H A T I P U

Whatipu has an interesting history.

You can read about it in this Auckland Council publication.

Whatipu Stream becomes a torrent as it spills onto the beach

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4 C H A P T E R

HAURAKI GULF

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AUCKLAND’S PLAYGROUND Variously described as “the jewel in Auckland’s crown”, and “Auckland’s playground”, the Hauraki Gulf is the single most determining factor in making Auckland the beautiful place it is to live or holiday in. With over one million hectares of sparkling blue water studded with a multitude of wildly differing islands easily accessible by boat or ferry, sheltered from the prevailing winds, safe for swimming and brilliant for boating, Auckland is able to have its cake and eat it, too. In 2012, Lonely Planet rated the Hauraki Gulf as the top experience to be had in New Zealand.

Peevious page: The Noises islands and Rakino silhouetted as sunrise strikes the Hauraki Gulf Right: Rakino Island, the two Noises islands, and Little Barrier on the horizon DOC map of Hauraki Gulf with pestfree islands and marine reserves

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So how should you enjoy it? Well, the good part is that most of the islands, bar Great Barrier Island (90km northeast of Auckland), are pretty easy to get to, either by ferry or private boat or charter. Try exploring by sea kayak. You can wine and dine and chill on Waiheke Island; experience climbing to the summit of the Rangitoto volcano through the world’s largest pohutukawa forest; immerse yourself in birdsong at one of the world’s great conservation success stories on Tiritiri Matangi; snorkel among snapper at the country’s first marine reserve at Goat Island; or choose any of many small, sparsely populated or unpopulated islands to land on by boat, picnic and swim, or go for a walk and exult in the views. You can fish, sail, go whale and dolphin watching, or rent a bach (holiday home) and extend your enjoyment that bit longer.

Left: The Hauraki Gulf, a paradise for all sorts of water-based pursuits

WAIHEKE ISLAND RANGITOTO MOTUTAPU & RAKINO TIRITIRI MATANGI

KAWAU GOAT ISLAND LITTLE BARRIER GREAT BARRIER

DOC Hauraki Gulk Marine Park Brochure

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BUT FIRST . . .

Check for stowaways In 2000, the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park was created to recognise and protect the unique environmental features of this national treasure.

Among the 50 or so islands within the Gulf, a number are pest-free, strictly controlled to stop possums, rats and stoats from preying on rare and endangered New Zealand species, especially birds. These islands have become conservation arks, an attempt to create in miniature what Aotearoa once was before the arrival of humans and the pests they brought which destroyed so much of the country’s avifauna. The most famous example is Tiritiri Matangi island, but the others are just as important and it’s up to visitors like us to make sure they stay like that. If you land on one of these islands by boat, you must make sure you are not carrying rats, mice, Argentine ants, stoats, weasels, ferrets, skinks, soil, seeds, or any of those damn possums!

A kereru or New Zealand wood pigeon on pest-free Tiritiri Matangi island, the only native bird capable of dispensing seeds from large fruits.

The kereru is vital to the regeneration of our native forests.

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W A I H E K E

I S L A N D

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W A I H E K E

I S L A N D

This is the most populated of the islands, and many of its residents make the daily commute by ferry to the city – sure beats being stuck in traffic on SH1. There’s a decidedly Bohemian air to the laid-back lifestyle on Waiheke, and it’s a favourite of artists and writers and those seeking a slightly alternative lifestyle. With its own micro climate, vineyards, sandy bays and fabulous views it’s long been popular with Aucklanders who flock here for day trips and long weekends. Lonely Planet rated it the fifth best destination in the world in 2015. If you want to soak up a few days of this addictive vibe, you’ve a wide choice of accommodation, from exceedingly expensive clifftop rentals (‘holiday homes’ hardly does some of them justice), to more modest baches and resorts. And if there’s one thing Waiheke does exceedingly well, it’s wineries and their restaurants – the sheer choice is impressive for such a small island. Most wineries offer tastings which will cost you anything from $8 to $20,

depending on the range you imbibe. The wineries all have restaurants or cafes and the food is generally excellent. You can eat expensively and very well on Waiheke, and you can find good, modest fare also. The main town, with a lovely beach, is

DOC map of Waiheke Above Man O’ War Bay looking towards Pakatoa and Rotorua islands Previous page: A man embraces the wind and scenic splendour of Stony Batter Historic Reserve 92

W A I H E K E

I S L A N D

Oneroa, where you’ll find most of your shopping requirements. Most of the population live in this area, on the western side of the island, but in a more peaceful, leafy, semi-tropical way than in the metropolis across the water.

Onetangi is the other main settlement, with a wonderful, wide-sweeping bay that’s popular with surfers. Here you will find many holiday homes to rent, and apartments too. Once you head east the island becomes very much hillier, unspoilt and rural, the paved roads becoming unsealed. Valleys sweep down to the sea, often with vines or groves of olives laid out on the slopes, sheep and

cows dotting the landscape. The scenery in the east is wonderful, with idyllic bays and houses with outlooks to die for. There is good walking to be had over Waiheke’s rolling hills, and one of the best places to do that is at the Stony Batter Historic Reserve, named for the unusual boulders that litter the landscape.

During World War II, gun emplacements and tunnels were built in case of a Japanese attack, and you can still wander the tunnels today. Here the views towards the offshore islands and the mainland are fantastic.

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R A N G I T O T O It’s the Auckland landmark you can’t avoid, the perfectly circular, forested volcano an omnipresent reminder of the forces that shaped the Auckland isthmus. You can read more about volcanic Rangitoto in the next chapter on volcanoes. A day trip to Rangitoto, which you must do, couldn’t be easier or more rewarding.

Book the ferry to Rangitoto Island and you’ll be dropped off on the brand-new wharf, built to cope with the increasing number of visitors. Take a backpack with water, something to eat, sunscreen and a hat. Rangitoto is a pest-free island so make sure you have no stowaways hiding in your belongings. It takes about an hour to reach the summit, and in summer it’s a hot walk over the black surface, with the last push up the steep crater’s edge quite a slog. The volcanic terrain makes for an uneven walk in places, with some areas appearing barren of any plant growth, except for the odd small shoot of pohutukawa peeping through the black lava. This is the world’s largest pohutukawa forest and at Christmas areas of it blaze red. The pohutukawa

The pohutukawa-smothered cone of Rangitoto dominates Auckland’s landscape

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R A N G I T O T O is just one of 200 species of plant life colonising this island. Near the top a side track leads to the lava caves, and further up a platform gives you a view into the tree-filled crater. At the top, further viewing platforms and a boardwalk reward your efforts with fantastic views in every direction. If you can’t make the walk, a tractor towing some carriages, like a train, leaves from near the wharf and takes you nearly up to the summit. The remainder of the climb is easy enough via a boardwalk and some steps. Down near the wharf are a group of historic baches which are being restored. If the tide is right you can cross the causeway to Rangitoto’s neighbour Motutapu.

Rangitoto with Motutapu Island in the background

DOC map of Rangitoto

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M O T U T A P U Motutapu in Maori means “sacred island”. Much older than its once-fiery neighbour, it is joined to Rangitoto by a causeway. Although they are both pest-free islands, they couldn’t be more different. While Rangitoto is smothered in forest, Motutapu is almost bereft of trees; as different as the earth is to the moon. Motutapu was long ago settled by Maori, who farmed here, but its forests and everything else was destroyed by Rangitoto’s eruption 600 years ago. The legacy of that was a serious coating of volcanic ash ideal for gardening and growing crops. From above it’s a pretty island, a pastureland of rolling hills and sheltered bays. On the ground the main attraction is tramping. Many school children are sent to the island’s Outdoor Education Camp to embark on long walks over the hills. Motutapu has a small population of critically endangered takahes brought over from Tiritiri Matangi island. The takahe was thought to be extinct until 1948 when a colony was discovered in the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland. Thanks to breeding efforts on pest-free islands like Tiritiri Matangi and Motutapu, the takahe’s immediate future is assured, even if it does remain critically endangered.

DOC map of Motutapu

R A K I N O This small, pretty island, 2.5km long and 1.2km wide, lies next to Motutapu and is worth mentioning because if you have a boat the lovely Woody Bay on the northwestern side of the island is worth mooring at. But at the weekend you’ll probably find dozens of other boaties with the same idea.

It’s an idyllic spot for a swim and a picnic. Climb the hill above the bay for stunning views. There’s a small permanent population and around 80 dwellings on Rakino, with holiday homes for rent.

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Evening sun casts huge shadows from small trees over a bay on Motutapu

M O T U T A P U ,

R A K I N O

&

N E I G H B O U R S There are several islands in the Hauraki Gulf that I have not yet visited, some of which offer either campsites or 
 self-contained accommodation, or they can be visited on a day trip.

Motuihe, which lies just off Motutapu, in between Browns Island (Motukorea) and Waiheke, offers camping, for which you must book through DOC. The 179ha island is a recreational reserve and pest-free, so ensure you have no stowaways or soil or seeds on any clothing. You can get to Motuihe by private boat, water taxi or kayak.

Browns Island (Motukorea) is one of the best preserved volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field, with a perfect, deep volcanic crater. The island is a pest-free recreational reserve and home to European and Maori historic sites and artefacts. You can get there by private boat, water taxi, or kayak.

The rolling hills of Motutapu, with Rakino top right

Rotoroa, east of Waiheke, is a 82ha island offering selfcatering accommodation in the form of three self-contained holiday homes and a boutique hostel. Once an alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre, it’s found a new lease of life as an arts, heritage and conservation destination. It has partnered with Auckland Zoo in establishing wildlife on the island.

DOC map of Motuihe Island

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DOC map of Browns Island

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T I R I T I R I

M A T A N G I

From a deafening dawn chorus to a mere whisper, the demise of New Zealand’s unique forests and avifuana is a tragic reminder of human settlement’s devastating impacts on an unexplored, pristine land. Today the country is trying to right past wrongs by creating environmental sanctuaries where critically endangered species are being successfully bred and nurtured. None has been more successful than the island of Tiritiri Matangi, one of the most extraordinary conservation success stories of recent times: the repopulation by birds of a reforested island that was only 30 years ago a bare, virtually featureless lump of rock long since cleared of forest for farming and where feral plants and animals ran amok. Between 1984 and 1994 hundreds of volunteers transformed the island by planting 280,000 trees. Endangered birds like the saddleback, kokako, kararike, stitchbird and takahe

were introduced, pests eradicated, and today it’s hard to believe this island was ever anything else but a magical place with a flourishing forest that sings. The island is criss-crossed by tracks, some with boardwalks and steps, and feeding stations that are a cacophony of song. You can join guided walking tours, the best way to learn about the birds and to understand what has been achieved on Tiri.

But to really appreciate what a New Zealand forest might have sounded like 200 years ago, a Dawn Chorus tour has been introduced in the spring months, and it is an amazing experience – read about my trip here. You can book the tour through the Tiritiri website and sailings to the island through Fullers Ferries. If you have friend with a boat you can land at Hobbs Beach or at the wharf and explore yourself – but please, no pests! At the lighthouse there’s an interpretative centre, shop and cafe.

The endangered stitchbird singing joyfully on the Kawerau Track on Tiri

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Why New Zealand needs its island sanctuaries For 80 million years New Zealand’s geographical isolation ensured it evolved uniquely as a land filled with birds, largely flightless birds. They lost the need to fly because no mammals existed to prey upon them and, as a result, grew numerous, fat, even huge, like the moa, at 10ft tall the largest bird ever to have lived. The Haast’s eagle, with a 10ft wingspan and claws the size of a tiger’s, patrolled the skies, swooping down on the moa. In the country's plains and foothills takahes in their millions grazed like sheep, while a variety of other species scurried around the forest floor like mice.

But the introduction of humans and the pests they brought changed all that, as Gerard Hutchings vividly describes in his excellent book, “Natural World of New Zealand”. Birds that nested on the ground were no match for the kiore, the Pacific rat. The kiore is believed to have first landed in New Zealand 2,000 years ago with humans, who themselves did not survive initial settlement, says Hutchings.

And for the next 1,000 years these rats may have formed vast hordes that swept through the forests destroying the irreplaceable wildlife.

When Maori arrived 1,000 years ago The bellbird, named for the quality of its song, is a member of the honeyeater family. Its long tongue is used to reach the nectar deep inside of flowers

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Top: Hobbs Beach on Tiri Left: The tui, a New Zealand icon

DOC map of Tiritiri

DOC guide to Tiritiri island walks

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To get to Kawau Island, unless you have access to a boat, take the passenger ferry from Sandspit near Warkworth, about an hour north of the city. The island’s main point of interest is the Mansion House, a Victorian home built by twice former New Zealand governor Sir George Grey (1845–53 and 1861–68), and the grounds and gardens he established.

In true Victorian fashion he imported flora and fauna from all over the world, with which he created the delightful landscaped grounds you can wander through today. You’ll come across peacocks and the flightless weka.

There are tuis, fantails, wood pigeons, kingfishers, silver-eyes, grey warblers, and even kookaburras, the only place in the country you’ll hear them in the wild. The simply decorated house is open to the public, the most memorable room being the master bedroom with its balcony and views over the harbour. There’s not a lot else to see on Kawau, but the ferry, which doubles as the Royal Mail Run Cruise, stops off along the way in another picturesque bay to deliver the post and passengers staying at some of the holiday homes in the bush-clad hills and along the waters edge.

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Goat Island is the site of New Zealand’s first-ever marine reserve, a model for the reserves that followed and for others around the world. Goat Island itself is a large rock just off the coast near Leigh, for which the reserve is named, though its full, official title is Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve. It was established in 1975 and is now a remarkable underwater treasure trove of brightly coloured fish, most conspicuous of which is the ubiquitous snapper, that favourite of those who fish the Hauraki Gulf – but at Goat Island neither these fish nor any others can be touched. The island is very popular with visitors, who flock here to dive and snorkel in the clear water, and it can get quite crowded on the beach. You can hire snorkel and dive equipment in nearby Leigh. Also at Leigh is the Sawmill Cafe, a well-known eaterie and bar that hosts live music by touring bands.

Snorkelling at Goat Island

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Viewed from the northern Auckland coast, Little Barrier rises up majestically from the ocean, mountainous, covered in trees, hiding prolific birdlife. On this island called Hauturu (“the wind’s resting spot”) by the Maori, tall cliffs reach up from the ocean to meet undisturbed forest where, almost uniquely for New Zealand, browsing animals were never introduced.

There are over 400 species of native plants here, some not found on the mainland. It’s a pest-free island and landing is prohibited without a permit. If you want to visit you can apply through DOC. There’s an extensive list of conditions involved in the process that you can read about on DOC’s ‘Know before you go’ webpage at the link below.

DOC Know Before You Go webpage on Little Barrier

A fisherman looks out to sea at Te Arai Point, with Little Barrier Island sitting on the horizon

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Named by Captain Cook because its size seemed to bar the entrance to the Gulf, “the Barrier” is the largest island in the Hauraki Gulf by some distance, and its most beautiful by all accounts. It’s been populated for centuries, firstly by Polynesians about 700 years ago, and then by Europeans who arrived in the 19th century. They mined copper, silver and gold and logged kauri – there’s a restored kauri dam on the Kaiaraara Track to Mt Hirakimata (Mt Hobson). Life on the Barrier is quiet, laid-back, a reminder of life on the mainland many decades ago. There’s no mains electricity, with power supplied by solar panels and wind-powered generators, while water is collected from that which falls from the sky. Internet and phone reception is limited. Got the picture? This is a back-to-nature kind of place, where the BBC filmed a series of Castaway in 2007, bringing the rugged beauty of this lonely island to a wider world. Tramping, camping, and exploring the forests,

On the horizon above Motutapu and Rakino are Little Barrier on the left and Great Barrier on the right, at the outer limits of the Hauraki Gulf

DOC Great Barrier brochure 105

rugged countryside, glorious sandy beaches and rocky coves are the attractions on offer here, in a world far removed from the one you left behind. The main population centre is Tryphena, where the ferries arrive, and the island is well serviced by air from Auckland Airport and the North Shore Aerodrome to Claris and Okiwi, also with connections between Whangarei, Tauranga, Whitianga and Great Barrier. There are a number of air operators and options you can choose from on the next page. SeaLink provides vehicular and passenger ferries from Auckland, and the Barrier Express boat service leaves from Auckland and Sandspit. There’s a wide range of accommodation available, from lodges and holiday homes to B&Bs. Getting around the Barrier is best done by renting a car, though you can hire a bicycle, but the terrain is hilly and rough in places.

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FERRY & CRUISE PACKAGES

Fullers runs services across the Waitemata Harbour from the Ferry Terminal on Quay Street to various Auckland suburbs. They do an Auckland harbour cruise and provide additional packages to Rangitoto and Waiheke.

SeaLink services Waiheke Island, operating the only car ferry, and offers the only ferry service to Great Barrier Island. SeaLink also services Rakino.

360 Discovery Cruises run “discovery cruises� to Tiritiri Matangi (including the spring Dawn Chorus tour),

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Common dolphin shows off during a whale and dolphin cruise in the Hauraki Gulf. Common dolphins are also known as short-beaked dolphins and are the most common found in the Hauraki Gulf and Northland

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VOLCANOES

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Mt Eden, or Maungawhau (left); Rangitoto’s crater (middle); Lake Pupuke explosion crater in Takapuna (right) Previous page: Browns Island (Motukorea), one of the best preserved volcanoes in Auckland

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Until very recently it was thought that the last volcanic eruption in Auckland happened 600 years ago when Rangitoto erupted from the waters of the Hauraki Gulf to form our newest, most significant landmark.

However, new research suggests Rangitoto may actually be a cluster of cones with a history of eruptions, and that is it is actually about 6,000 years old. In the last 250,000 years the eruptions in the Auckland Volcanic Field have been sporadic and varied. Volcanic features range from small cones less than 150m in height, to large ones like Mt Eden, to explosion craters like Lake Pupuke. There are over 50 separate volcanoes in this young and active volcanic field and these eruptions have had a profound effect on Auckland’s landscape, responsible for making the city the unique place it is today – what other major world city is littered with volcanic cones? The likelihood is that these will not erupt in the same place again, but if there is an eruption the magma will force its way through to the surface somewhere new, forming a new cone, and it could happen any time, anywhere. But if a new volcano forms it could be active for hundreds, even thousands of years.

Apart from giving us rich volcanic soil, the volcanoes have contributed beautiful features to our city, as many of them have been turned into public parks. Unfortunately, most have been quarried to some extent, and some are unrecognisable from what they must have been when the Maoris first arrived. For Maoris, these volcanic hills made ideal forts, and they were usually ringed with housing, and storage pits with large gardens on the fertile volcanic soil. With the arrival of the Europeans, volcanic basalt was quarried for buildings, railways lines and roads. The volcanic fields have now been built over, and the higher slopes reserved as parks, and these are wonderful places to walk and enjoy the fantastic views they offer.

The Domain, for instance, with its museum, is actually a volcano called Pukekawa, though you’d hardly notice. Among the most rewarding to visit are Rangitoto, Mt Eden, One Tree Hill, Mt Hobson, Mt Wellington, and Mt Victoria and North Head in Devonport.

One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) and the volcanic surroundings of Cornwall Park

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The Auckland Volcanic Field as drawn by Ferdinand Von Hochstetter in 1859

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Auckland Museum’s informative website has lots of interesting information about the city’s volcanoes

A PDF from GNS Science on the Auckland Volcanic Field Mt Eden (Maungawhau) offers the best views of any volcano in the city; you can see for miles in every direction. It erupted 15,000 years ago and was used as a fortified pa by the Maoris

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RURAL AUCKLAND

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For our family, rural Auckland means heading north or west of the North Shore to some of the regional parks, to walk, explore the countryside and towns and villages along the way, or spend a long, lazy afternoon at a winery.

Once you leave the city limits north of Auckland – which officially end at Albany/Torbay – the crowded suburbs give way to open, hilly countryside dotted with “lifestyle blocks”, in areas such as Dairy Flat and Coatesville. Lifestyle blocks comprise large properties on land not less than 5ha, varying in degrees of ostentatiousness. Inland and north of Dairy Flat the countryside becomes ever hillier and more remote, with farming being the mainstay. The coastal area north of the North Shore becomes the Hibiscus Coast and comprises the settlements of Silverdale and the suburban sprawl of Whangaparoa Peninsula, Orewa, Millwater and Waiwera. These towns are quickly reached via the SH1 motorway which will take you onwards towards the historic village of Puhoi, and further on to Warkworth and the wine-growing region and beaches near Omaha and Matakana.

West of the Shore, on your way to the west coast, you’ll pass through the wine-growing areas around Kumeu. If you carry on north up the SH16 you’ll reach the beautiful countryside of Kaipara peninsula and harbour. SH16 is also your best route to Northland on busy holiday weekends when the more popular alternative, SH1, is choked with traffic from Orewa to Warkworth – a highway extension has been proposed to ease this bottleneck but is years away. The SH1 past Orewa is a toll road which you can pay for electronically before or after you’ve made your journey. The main rural attractions southeast of Auckland can be found around Clevedon village, the Hunua ranges, and the Miranda Shorebird Centre near Thames. If you are a surf nut, you may want to take the two-hour drive south to Raglan on the west coast, internationally famous for its surf breaks.

Its left-hand break is rated the best in the world by those in the know. Otherwise, head west for the dramatic Awhitu Peninsula and breathtaking views from the Manakau Heads Lighthouse.

Previous page: Glorious summer day through the restaurant window of Mahurangi River Winery

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Want to ski, but don’t have time to make it to Mt Ruapehu or the Southern Alps? At Silverdale,10 minutes north of Albany, you can do your thing on real snow at Snow Planet. Well, it is real snow, from a machine, but it’s great if you want to learn how before hitting the real slopes down south. Silverdale is a rapidly expanding area of new housing with the Silverdale Centre, a large shopping complex, servicing the entire area. Once you reach the Whangaparoa Peninsula and Orewa, just north of Silverdale, you may wonder why I’ve lumped it under “rural Auckland”, such is its built-up nature. The appeal of the Whangaparoa Peninsula lies not in its houses crowded together on the narrow peninsula, but in Previous page: Resident of Sheepworld, near Warkworth

C O A S T its beaches, and the jewel at the end of it all, rural Shakespear Regional Park.

Our reason for visiting this peninsula is the park but also Stanmore Bay beach and the excellent Gulf Harbour Golf Course, part of a huge, luxury housing development with a massive marina where you catch the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi island. Just north of the peninsula is Orewa a growing coastal town with a magnificent beach. When the wind is up it’s worth coming to see the kite and wind surfers in action.

Whangaparoa Peninsula on the Hibiscus Coast

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If you take the old coastal road north from Orewa, rather than the highway, you’ll reach Waiwera. (If you opt to stay on the SH1 past Orewa you will have to pay an electronic toll to use the Northern Gateway road. You can prepay, or pay after your trip, here.) Maori called Waiwera ‘Te Rata’ (the doctor) because of the hot water springs which were believed to be sacred and which were once defended from a fortified pa. Today it’s the home of Waiwera Springs Resort, a thermal pool complex originally established as a health resort by the Europeans in 1848. There

C O A S T are slides and fun for the kids, and pools of varying degrees of heat; some so hot (48˚C) I could barely immerse my toes. One pool has a cinema screen: you swelter, watching a movie, but it’s kind of hard to concentrate on the plot.

Just to the north of Waiwera is Wenderholm Regional Park. A few kilometres past Wenderholm you’ll rejoin SH1, and on your left is a sign to Puhoi Village.

Puhoi Historic Village, as it’s often called, was originally settled by German-

Frenchman's Cap, an unusual rock in Makakatia Bay on the Whangaparoa Peninsula

Left: Gulf Harbour homes, with room to park your boat

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speaking immigrants from Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Wanting to escape the clutches of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they came all the way to New Zealand and settled in Puhoi, trying to make a living in this hilly, forested area only to find the land turned out to be poor. They managed to scrape a living by cutting trees for timber. Some descendants remain, and the village with its lovely church, tiny library and historic pub are charming. The Puhoi Pub (built 1879) gets busy at weekends and, on a hot summer’s day, has a vibe not unlike that of an English country pub. The Puhoi Bohemian Settlers Museum tells the story of how the setters turned forested hills into farmland. Puhoi is situated on the banks of the Puhoi River which empties into the sea at Wenderholm Regional

Puhoi’s Catholic Church, officially called the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It was built in 1880 and opened in 1881

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C O A S T Park. You can hire a kayak and explore this pretty area with Puhoi River Canoe Hire. A mile or two through the village is the Puhoi Valley Cheese Factory which sells a delicious range of artisan cheeses and yoghurts. There’s a cafe and store with pretty gardens and a small lake.

Resuming your journey northwards on SH1 you’ll pass the turnoff to Mahurangi Regional Park a few miles later. It’s a lovely drive to the park with a stunning lookout over the Mahurangi estuary. Back on the SH1, just before you reach the pretty town of Warkworth, you’ll see a sign to turn right to Parry Kauri Park. Next to the car park stands a magnificent kauri tree, an example of what once covered

so much of northern New Zealand. Logging saw the kauri forests decimated, and today only pockets remain. There are some other large kauris here and many young ones in a regenerating kauri forest through which you can walk along a boardwalk. A number of historic buildings and a small museum give an insight into pioneering life.

Warkworth, a historic town built along the Mahurangi River, is the busiest settlement in the area and the gateway to the wine-growing region around Matakana, as well as a diverting series of pretty bays and peninsulas. We like Warkworth, its pretty location on the river, and the boardwalk that runs alongside it. There’s a good selection of shops and cafes and it’s a nice spot to stop for lunch.

A few miles north of Warkworth on the SH1 is Sheep World, where you may see pink sheep wandering its fields from the road. Here you can spend an enjoyable few hours – you’ll see sheep shearing demonstrated and sheepdogs being put through their paces; and learn much about farming these animals and their importance to the New Zealand economy.

There are other farm animals on show and nice walks around the farm.

To get to Matakana, Tawharanui Regional Park, Kawau Island, Omaha and Goat Island at Leigh, you must exit SH1 right at Warkworth at a notorious traffic light junction – you’ll understand why on the way back.

Take the first right on Matakana Road to get to Sandspit, where you can catch the ferry to Kawau Island. Follow the signs to Snells Beach and you’ll pass signs to two excellent wineries: Mahurangi River Winery and Brick Bay Winery, which has its own sculpture trail. Both serve excellent food. The road through Snells Beach and Algies Bay branches left to take you along the scenic spine of the Mahurangi East peninsula to Scandrett Regional Park which sits on the end of the eastern spur. Scandrett was a working farm 130 years ago and historic farm buildings remain, including the homestead dating from 1885. There’s a beach and sheep wandering the hills. The drive to the park and down to the beach is pretty but it’s really only worth making the effort if you are in the area with time on your hands.

Giant kauri tree at Parry Kauri Park

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Heading east along Matakana Road towards Matakana, Omaha and Tawharanui takes you through the Matakana Wine Trail district. There are many wineries with restaurants which offer tastings, and the region is being marketed specifically to take advantage of these attractions. Wine tastings and nibbles are a very satisfactory way to spend an afternoon in lovely surroundings, but make sure you have a designated driver as some measures you are given to sample are larger than others. Some wineries offer free tastings while others will charge you. Buying wine at the cellar door is generally good value. Matakana is an attractive town and at the weekend hums with activity, centred for the most part around the Saturday Matakana Farmers Market (8am– 1pm). All sorts of local produce, such as cheeses, cured meats, breads, honey, olive oils, jams, pickles, fruit

and vegetables, is on offer, as well as delicious, freshly made takeaway food. There are a few restaurants along the riverbank and shops selling craft, art, clothing, etc. Opposite the market is the Matakana Village Pub and, next to the market, the boutique Matakana Cinema.

A few miles out of Matakana, past the Mediterranean-styled Ascension Wine Estate, you’ll come to a turning to Omaha and Tawharanui Regional Park – ignore this turning to get to Goat Island, the town of Leigh, and Pakari Beach. Otherwise, turn right, and at the roundabout turn left for Omaha and right for Tawharanui, the latter reached for the most part on a dirt road. There are more wineries here, notably the excellent OBV winery and restaurant with fantastic views over Omaha to Little Barrier Island. Omaha is a community of holiday homes stretched out on a spit between a tidal lagoon and the ocean and has a fantastic white sandy beach. Omaha is home to an excellent and affordable golf course with a linkslike layout on one nine and parkland with water on the other.

NZ Chauffeur’s map of the Matakana Wine The Mahurangi River at Warkworth’s boardwalk

Trail. They do full day tours so you can drink as much wine as you like, without driving

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Your alternative exploration of rural Auckland north of the city is along the western route via SH16. This area is more rugged, remote and quiet and encompasses great views along the stretch of SH16 that hugs the Kaipara Harbour north of Helensville on its way to Wellsford and the gateway to Northland. The SH16 between Auckland and Helensville does not come close to the western beaches of the Waitakere Ranges (see Regional Parks). Bethells/Te Henga can be reached off the SH16 by turning off at Kumeu, and Muriwai by turning off at Waimauku.

Kumeu, about 20 minutes north of the city (without traffic), is a town along the SH16 with little of real value to the casual visitor. The real interest of the Kumeu area is that it is a producer of wine, with viticulture and processing being the town’s main economic mainstay. It is also a serious producer of fine agricultural produce, and the area boasts many farm shops where you’ll snap up beautiful fruit and veggies at bargain prices. When we come to the Kumeu area it is to go wine tasting, and there are many wineries to choose from. Our favourites are Westbrook Winery, where you can bring your own picnic and sit by the pond drinking their lovely wines, and Matua, also picnic-friendly. Coopers Creek winery on SH16 just outside Waimuku is also very popular, and they often have live jazz at the weekends. In nearby Riverhead, the incredibly popular Riverhead Tavern sits by the river and hosts live music. Some days you can’t get a park anywhere near it. Huapai Golf Course near Kumeu is an attractive parkland course, reasonably priced with some lovely views and good water holes.

Preceding page: “Dismemberment”, by Anish Kapoor, one of many fantastic giant sculptures at Gibbs Farm on the Kaipara Harbour

Kumeu Wine Trail from Kumeu Wine Country

Right: The unusual sight of a Hare Krishna temple in the New Zealand countryside. This is at Huapai near Kumeu 121

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Carry on up SH16 to the Muriwai turn-off at Waimauku to get to the beach, gannet colony and my favourite golf course.

Shortly after that turning you’ll reach Auckland’s centre of adventure activities at Woodhill Forest. This pine forest covers an area of 12,500ha and has over 100km of purpose-built tracks and jumps for mountain bike enthusiasts. But you don’t have to tear along the tracks on wheels, as it’s a great place for family-friendly walks. My children have enjoyed the Tree Adventure Park, where you explore the forest up to 14m high on ropes and ladders, harnessed for safety. There are 18 flying foxes too. You can also try a 4WD jeep safari, horse-riding treks and motocross.

N O R T H

Lake Ototoa on the Kaipara Peninsula

When you get to Helensville you have two choices: take a drive up the rather beautiful and remote Kaipara Peninsula, or take the SH16 along the Kaipara Harbour’s eastern shoreline for lovely views and to get to the incredible giant sculpture park at Gibbs Farm. There isn’t much to see in Helensville itself, though there is a good and inexpensive parkland golf course of tree-lined fairways.

Many people heading for Northland take the SH16 to Wellsford to avoid traffic delays on the SH1 at weekends. We prefer this route for that reason and because

it is a lovely, hilly, fairly winding drive affording beautiful views over the Kaipara Harbour. This body of water, incidentally, is New Zealand’s largest inland natural harbour with over 800km of coastline, separated from the Tasman Sea by two huge sandbank peninsulas. Maoris settled in the area way back, and Europeans arrived later to work in the kauri timber industry. Most of the area is farmland now but there are extensive wetland areas which are a haven for birdlife, especially migratory wading birds. In the summer months along the harbour, more than 30,000 Arctic waders visit, including godwits, plovers, curlews and sandpipers.

About 20 minutes after leaving Kaukapakapa village on the SH16, on the left-hand side you may spot a huge sculpture standing on a hill. This is just one of many amazing, enormous sculptures to be found at Gibbs Farm (not to be confused with Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens, which is part plant/garden centre). Extraordinary to behold, they straddle the landscape overlooking the harbour like giants. To see them, you have to book months in advance at Gibbs Farm as they are only open to the public one Thursday in every month, although admission is free. It’s all a question of getting your name on the list a long time before you plan to visit. If it is possible, make the effort, as you won’t regret it.

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Te Rau Puriri Regional Park on the Kaipara Peninsula near South Head

To explore the Kaipara Peninsula, take the South Head road out of Helensville – just north are the Parakai Springs hot pools. This is a quiet and pretty drive with wetlands along the harbour side of the road. The further you drive the hillier it becomes. Shelly Beach, signposted on the right, is a small village with beachfront cafe and boat ramp set on the estuary, a nice spot to stretch your legs and enjoy the quite ambience of Kaipara. Carrying on along South Head Road you’ll pass South Head Golf Club where visitors are welcome to try out the pretty course. Further on, Lake Ototoa is a peaceful, hidden gem signposted off the main

road, where you can walk around the shore and kayak. As the road climbs upwards you’ll see a sign for Te Rau Puriri Regional Park. This is a very quiet park, being so off the beaten track, but is worth a visit for its lovely views over the harbour and walks along its hills and valleys. A little further on, take the turn-off to Waionui Inlet, a tidal mudflat reached through a forest of manuka bush. Part of this area is used by the Defence Force for military exercises, but most of the time it is utterly peaceful and remote. There are a number of walks available and it’s a good spot to get away from civilisation and have a picnic in the wilderness.

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SOUTH OF AUCKLAND

View from Formosa Golf Club to the Waitemata Harbour

Heading south on the SH1, past Rainbows End, Auckland Botanic Gardens and the Polynesian centre of Manukau, you will find yourself with two choices: head east to a series of small regional parks and the Hunua Ranges,

Clevedon and the Miranda Shorebird Centre, or west to the isolation and splendour of the Manukau Heads and Awhitu Regional Park.

Both require plenty of driving from the city, between one and two hours each way.

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The Manukau Heads and Lighthouse, which guard the entrance to Manukau Harbour, sit at the northern end of Awhitu Peninsula, forming the southern arm of the entrance to the harbour. Apparently, the peninsula is really a giant sandbar, and is similar to the countryside around Muriwai and the Kaipara Peninsula on the northern side of the harbour. Indeed, it shares many attributes with its northern neighbour: lonely, wild, black sand beaches pounded by relentless surf and buffeted by the wind sweeping in from the Tasman Sea. On the Tasman side there are high, eroding cliffs backed by green hills and steep valleys dotted with cows or sheep and clumps of weatherbeaten trees. It’s a really beautiful, isolated area

A cow enjoys a lordly view above a valley near the Manukau Heads

Awhitu Peninsula map

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and markedly different to the landscape on the eastern side of the peninsula which overlooks the sheltered Manukau Harbour. Here, where you’ll find Awhitu Regional Park, the countryside is gentle, with pohutukawas much in evidence, calm beaches and bays, and views of Auckland.

To get to Awhitu, leave the SH1 at Drury and take the SH22 and signs to Waiuku, the largest settlement in the area. To reach Waiuku you’ll drive through the Pukekoe area, a region renowned for its rich volcanic soil and home to some of the finest veggies grown in New Zealand. Fields of cabbages, corn, lettuce and

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P E N I N S U L A other produce march along the rolling contours. When you reach Waiuku, you can make a detour west for 8km to the beach at Kariotahi, a large black sand beach reminiscent of Muriwai. Surfing, blowkarts and horse rides are popular here. Above the beach are high, eroding cliffs, and built safely upon one of them is the resort of Castaways which affords lovely views.

Summer fun at Awhitu Regional Park

Awhitu Regional Park is 33km north of Waiuku and accessed by the same road that leads to Awhitu Golf Club next door, a pleasant nine-hole parkland course with generous fairways. What Awhitu Regional Park lacks in size it makes up for in charm.

The car park on a hill above Manukau Harbour is surrounded by grassy areas and pohutukawa trees with picnic tables scattered about. Below the car park there are toilets and washing facilities, and a path leads down to the beach and wetlands. The beach is narrow and the water calm. You can either walk along the beach to the jetty and historic Brook Homestead, or take a path through the wetlands. English immigrants John and Sarah Brook built the Brook Homestead in 1878, originally called Brook Haven, and it has been repainted in its original colours.

Past the jetty and homestead is a campground and the pretty Brooks Beach.

Stopping for lunch and a swim at Awhitu before exploring the heads further north is an ideal way to break the journey from Auckland.

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Before reaching Awhitu Regional Park you’ll see a road sign (left) at the settlement of Awhitu for the Manukau Heads Lighthouse. If you are not going to the park but just the lighthouse, take this road. Otherwise, you can reach it when leaving the park on Brook Road by turning right and following the signs to the lighthouse. You may also want to take a detour along Grahams Beach Road to Awhitu Wines who offer tastings of their Syrah, Rose and Chardonnay.

The Manukau Heads Lighthouse sits high above the entrance to the Manukau Harbour with fantastic views towards windswept Whatipu, Huia and the Waitakere Ranges. Below the lighthouse the water is calm enough, but where the Tasman Sea rushes shoreward the sea churns in a frenzy of currents. It was here that New Zealand’s worst-ever shipping disaster took place in1863 when HMS Orpheus sank and only 70 of the 259 passengers survived – British soldiers on their way to the Waikato War. The Manukau Heads Lighthouse was originally built in 1874 and has since been reconstructed by the local community. For a voluntary donation you are able to access it and walk around the 360˚ deck. It’s open seven days from 9am till 5pm.

AC map of Awhitu Regional Park Manukau Heads Lighthouse

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The countryside southeast of Auckland is rolling, gentle farmland, the exception being the Hunua Ranges Regional Park, South Auckland’s version of the Waitakere Ranges. The coastline here has been given the moniker “Pohutukawa Coast” after the magnificent tree that is such a prominent feature of the Auckland coastline. It’s a pretty region, with hilly fingers of farmland and pockets of trees pushing their way into the waters of the southern Hauraki Gulf and Firth of Thames, views of islands in the Gulf, and picturesque bays dotted between the headlands. There are nice beaches, Maraetai, for instance, but none that really compare with those found in the regional parks and suburbs north of the city. But if you have a day on your hands it’s well worth driving the Pohutukawa Coast and stopping at one of the parks for a picnic or to enjoy a walk along some of the many trails.

Pohutukawa in bloom at Christmas

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Heading south on the SH1, take the exit at Mt Wellington to Howick, 22km south of the city. Auckland’s suburbs, while marching progressively outwards in every direction, have managed to swamp almost everything in their path, but at Howick historical vestiges remain. Howick was originally conceived as a “Fencible Settlement”, a term which meant “available to defend the homeland”. Soldiers who had completed their time in the British army were enticed to New Zealand by the reward of a house and land in return for signing on for a further seven years.

The cottage and land would become theirs after completion of their term. The idea was to bolster the British military presence during inter-tribal Maori wars,

AC brochure and map of the Pohutukawa Coast

All Souls Church near Clevedon

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protecting the young centre of Auckland. Today, at Howick Historical Village, a Fencible Settlement has been recreated complete with sights and sounds of life in the 1840s. School parties are sent here regularly to see history brought to life.

Further south, off SH1 at Takanini, you will find signs to Clevedon. This is a pleasant rural area, with Clevedon Village itself well known for its polo club, its food and wine and its two markets, Clevedon Farmers Market, for fresh produce and other foods, and Clevedon Village Market for arts and crafts. Both are open on Sundays. If you carry on past Clevedon you will find the coast road to a series of Regional Parks.

R E G I O N A L

P A R K S

Not including the Hunua Ranges Regional Park, there are seven small regional parks dotted around Hunua along a southeastern bulge of coastline bordering the Hauraki Gulf and Firth of Thames. Here’s a summary of them from north to south: Omana A short drive from Howick, Omana is a pretty park on a bluff overlooking the Hauraki Gulf. Once a pa (fort) of the Ngai Tai, it became a farm and today is still populated by sheep and friendly goats. There are good views and a couple of walking trails, a campground and bookable picnic sites.

Duder This park near Maraetai sticks out into the Hauraki Gulf like a fat thumb, offering almost 360˚ views from its hilly spine. The walks are good and you’ll have cows and sheep for company. There are a couple of beaches, but no designated picnic spots, so find your own tree for a shady lunch.

Waitawa You are a good 50km from the city by the time you reach Waitawa, a small park comprising three peninsulas and four bays. It’s one of Auckland’s newest parks, purchased in 2004. Activities specifically catered for are walking, horse-riding and mountain biking. A new craze is Disc Golf and there is a dedicated course here. There are nice walks with good views over the hilly countryside and Tamaki Strait.

Tawhitokino This park comprises two beaches which are not yet connected to each other by a coastal trail, though this is planned. Access to the beaches is by foot at low tide only. However, kayaking from Kawakawa Bay is a great

Manuka trees catch the last rays of sunshine

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way to access the park. This is a good spot for swimming against a pretty backdrop of regenerating bush and farmland. There is a secluded, tranquil campground.

Tapapakanga This is a popular and pretty coastal farm park and host of the annual Splore Music Festival. There are a number of campgrounds and picnic tables, and a white sand beach with good swimming. Historically, the park was an important settlement for Maoris, and there are a number of archeological sites within the park.

Waharau Carrying on south, you are now 90km from the city and, being right next to the Hunua Ranges, it feels a world away. This is a great park for walking: there are 10 different tracks to choose from, ranging from 15 minutes to 5 hours in duration. The beach is stony, but is okay at high tide when you need to cool down after your walking exertions. There are two campgrounds.

Whakatiwai Ten kilometres down the coast from Waharau, Whakatiwai is an interesting ecological park characterised by a series of gravel ridges, unique to Auckland, which run a kilometre inland. The gravel is eroded greywacke, carried down rivers from the Hunua Ranges.The shell-covered beach is a great spot to see migratory wading birds like godwits and knots.

A grove of ferns and nikau palms in the Hunua Ranges

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These bush-clad hills contain the largest native forest in the Auckland region, and at 14,000ha it’s a fascinating ecosystem to explore less than an hour from the CBD. Not only is it filled with magnificent New Zealand trees – beware of kauri dieback in the area (see page 66) – but its four dams provide the city with two thirds of its drinking water. The ranges of Hunua are also filled – by New Zealand standards – with native birdlife, including some pairs of the beautiful and endangered kokako, the subject of an intense recovery programme. As pests such as possums, rats and stoats are the main cause of the demise of so much native birdlife, controversial 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) poison drops were undertaken here in 2015 to eradicate said pests, especially rats.

See DOC’s info on 1080 here.

The main activity in the Hunua Ranges is walking, and there are many tracks.

Auckland Council list them all on their Hunua Ranges web page. Don’t leave the tracks; it’s easy to get lost. Other activities include trout fishing on the Wairoa River beyond the falls, via private land. There is horse-riding available in the lower Mangatawhiri Valley and along the river. The most popular destination within the park is probably Hunua Falls, which has a large area with picnic tables. While you can swim in the Wairoa River the waterfall pool is unsafe and you should stay out.

132 AC map of Hunua Ranges

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Oystercatchers gather in the shallows I could easily have put this in the future Coromandel guide, as it is nearer the town of Thames than Auckland, but it is only about 1.2 hours from the city. If you are a keen birdwatcher, or even just vaguely interested in the wondrous effort migratory birds make to winter in different hemispheres, take the drive to Miranda.

Of 214 wader species worldwide, 63 have been recorded in New Zealand and 46 at Pukorokoro Miranda, The 8,500ha site is an internationally significant wetland recognised under the Ramsar Convention. You can view recent species counts of birds at Miranda here.

Miranda Shorebird Centre is located on the Firth of Thames, at the edge of the Hauraki Plains in an area of rich mudflats. Below the Hunua Ranges, a narrow coastal plain of shell ridges, or cheniers, has built up with infilled mud over a period of 4,500 years. This is why the birds come here, to banquet on the presence of innumerable shells, molluscs, gastropods, worms and crustaceans. And they come in their thousands, the bar-tailed godwit being the most numerous, with around 4,000 recorded each summer. Godwits fly 11,500+km from western and

Viewing birds is possible all year, but the main flocks of godwits and red knots are present between September and March, the oystercatchers from late January to August. How well you see the birds is dependent on the tides. The shorebirds come to the shell banks at high tide, and this is the best time to see them as at low tide they feast on the mudflats further out. For more information on when the birds will be there to observe and which species you can see, visit the Miranda Shorebird Centre website.

northern Alaska to summer in Auckland and feast on Firth of Thames mud. 


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USEFUL STUFF

A C C O M M O D A T I O N Holiday homes

Motels and hotels

If you are staying in any one place for four days or more, consider renting a holiday home or, as they say here, a bach. If we’re spending more than two days in any part of New Zealand, we rent one of these. You get more bang for your buck. Often the locations of holiday homes are unbeatable – absolute beachfront or very near it – plus they offer more spacious accommodation and the economy of self-catering, along with such conveniences as TVs, stereos, BBQs, kayaks in the garage, etc. Many owners demand a minimum of two nights’ rental, but some more. During peak summer and Christmas, prices can nearly double. These are the sites that we’ve used for holiday home rentals: www.holidayhouses.co.nz by Trade Me Ltd www.bookabach.co.nz www.bachcare.co.nz And there are the independent rentals you can find on www.airbnb.co.nz

New Zealand has a particularly large selection of motels, especially in tourismdriven areas like the Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Queenstown and other South Island scenic spots. www.jasons.co.nz www.trivago.co.nz

Motorhomes and camping As described on page 10 motorhomes, or campervans, are an excellent and popular way to see the country while bedding down or lunching wherever you fancy. www.wilderness.co.nz www.keacampers.com www.maui.co.nz www.apollocamper.co.nz www.newzealand-motorhomes.com www.britz.co.nz

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A C C O M M O D A T I O N Freedom camping

Campsites

Whether you have a motorhome or a just a tent, you can either stay in a campsite, with all the facilities that offers, or “freedom camp”, ie stay next to a beach, off a side road, in a field, or wherever you feel to lay your head. However, in New Zealand, you cannot “free camp” anywhere. Many areas, such as private land or farmland, reserves and parks, cannot be camped upon without permission of the owner or local authority. If in doubt, always ask.

This DOC page has links to every area where freedom camping is restricted: www.doc.govt.nz/freedomcamping DOC’s page of places to stay: www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-stay/

There’s a huge variety of campgrounds in New Zealand, including those designed for motorhomes. We’ve stayed in some five-star sites which have been beautiful and a total pleasure, and a couple I wouldn’t send my dog to. Generally the standards are excellent.

The best place to start is with www.rankers.co.nz/respect This gives you a brilliant map showing every campsite in New Zealand, with prices, descriptions and lists of facilities. You can also download their app.

For top of the range sites, these guys are always good, if a bit pricey: www.top10.co.nz

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T R A N S P O R T Air For domestic air travel around New Zealand, the main players are Air New Zealand and Jetstar. Both frequently offer deals so cheap you wonder how they make any money at all. Air New Zealand’s Grabaseat has lots of last-minute offers. If you want to fly to the Hauraki Gulf Islands a list of independent operators is featured on page 106.

Rail If you are visiting New Zealand the likelihood of you using rail will be on one of the scenic journeys operated by KiwiRail.

The Northern Explorer runs from Auckland to Wellington, spectacularly traversing the volcanic plateau at Mt Ruapehu.

Two other rail journeys, the Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine, take in the spectacular mountain and coastal scenery of the South Island. A few years back we took a trip on the TranzAlpine from Greymouth on the west coast to Christchurch on the east, the most scenic rail journey I’ve been on, for sure. For Auckland suburban rail services, Auckland Transport website has all the details.

Road Whether you travel by motorhome, rented car or minibus, you need to be aware of New Zealand driving standards and anomalies. While New Zealand roads are good, and pretty well signposted, injuries and fatalities are higher than they should be. While this can be partly attributed to the difficult terrain many roads traverse, by far the greater reason is human carelessness and sheer bad driving. If you have arrived here from the Third World you will probably be pleasantly surprised at what, at first, seems like good and orderly driving standards. But if you have come from somewhere like the UK you will be exasperated by the poor understanding of road rules on display, especially in Auckland, where you may encounter lane hogging, tailgating, and drivers who frequently fail to indicate. In recent years, foreign drivers used to driving on the other side of the road 137

have been blamed for many crashes caused by crossing lanes into oncoming traffic. It has even been suggested that foreign drivers should take a test before they are handed the keys of any rental car!

Beware of major single-carriage roads with “passing lanes”. These are where the road becomes three lanes for a short period, maybe a kilometre, maybe less, when your lane gets an extra overtaking lane so you can pass the dawdler or logging truck puffing uphill. The trouble with these is that everyone wants to get past the offending vehicles, and there is a desperate rush to squeeze past after the sign saying “passing lane ends in 200 metres” flashes past. Some drivers’ judgement is simply terrible, so be aware.

Car rental choices are represented by the big names, Avis, Budget, Hertz, etc. Kiwi brands, which we normally use, include: www.apexrentals.co.nz, www.jucy.co.nz and www.thrifty.com Bus and coach Bus routes and timetables for Auckland can be found at the Auckland Transport website. For inter-city coaches, go to: www.intercity.co.nz www.nakedbus.com/nz/bus www.ritchies.co.nz 138

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Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to review Auckland’s best restaurants, but I have being doing the weekly shop at the supermarket for 10 years. Produce in New Zealand is among the best in the world. I can’t believe that fresh meat, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables come much better than this. But, and it’s a big but, the wonderful produce on offer is not always cheap and, sometimes, it’s damn expensive. It pays to shop around. I can’t speak for the rest of New Zealand, but in Auckland the proliferation of Asian grocery stores has meant you can buy at prices way below those in the supermarkets. Farm stalls and markets are also great places for a bargain. Seafood here is of outstanding quality, but it’s usually expensive. Lamb, which you might think, in a country built on sheep, would be cheap, is often more expensive than New Zealand lamb bought in Europe. And we may be the world’s largest producer of dairy, but that’s not reflected in the prices we pay. Supermarket choice: the best, I think, is New World, the cheapest Pak’nSave, both New Zealand-owned. Countdown, the main rival, is Australian, but don’t let that put you off.

If you are a wine drinker, you’ve come to a good place. Not only is New Zealand wine among the best you will buy anywhere, but we also get all the Australian wines at prices much cheaper than you’ll find in Europe, even in Oz. New Zealand sauvignon blanc is justifiably well known, but the pinot gris is even better, I reckon. The pinot noir is among the world’s finest, with the cool climate of the South Island providing real complexity and depth to this grape. And, as mentioned previously, wine tastings at the vineyards scattered throughout this beautiful land have become an institution.

For information on New Zealand wines: www.nzwine.com www.nzwinedirectory.co.nz Beer drinkers are also well served, but not as well as they are in Britain, though I admit to some bias here. New Zealand has seen a proliferation of craft beers and microbreweries, many brews coming with attractive and original labels and names which seem to invite curiosity: Pernicious Weed, Dogfish Head, etc. You can buy

these in many supermarkets and liquor outlets or online. Pubs are different to those of the UK, and and some try to copy the feel of the motherland with varying degrees of success. Pubs are allowed to stay open till 4am, way past my bedtime. If you are keen to check out the Kiwi beer scene, visit this site: www.beertourist.co.nz Eating out The standard of restaurant and cafe food in New Zealand is very high, and the range of cuisines – especially in Auckland – is wide. Pacific Rim, modern New Zealand, Asian, classic European and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as those of the Americas – we’ve got the lot. To help you decide where to eat out in Auckland, try these sites: Metro Magazine compiles a Top 50 list every year, as well as lists of the Top 50 Cheap Eats and the best cafes and bars: www.metroeats.co.nz The Cheap Eats are especially worth exploring.

Zomato carries user reviews of restaurants all over Auckland and beyond, with menus: www.zomato.com/auckland/top-restaurants 139

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E N T E R T A I N M E N T In Auckland the main venue for seeing the big names is Vector Arena, which has a seating capacity of 12,000 but through “reduction curtaining” and retractable seating is able to create a more intimate venue. The really big names, like U2, Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC, usually perform at Mt Smart Stadium in South Auckland, or Western Springs near central Auckland. Our favourite venues are the theatres and small clubs, such as the Civic Theatre (lovely), Aotea Centre (quite big and modern), the Powerstation (excellent), and the Kings Arms pub. The beautiful Art Deco St James Theatre, partly restored following a fire in 2007, is currently waiting to see if the government will help save it for good. Hope they do as it’s fantastic.

An excellent site to find out who’s playing where, and what’s on, as well as for reviews and interviews, is the 13th Floor: www.13thfloor.co.nz

New Zealand, and Auckland in particular, is well served by international artists and rock bands, who often come down here as part of an Australasian tour, or at the beginning or end of a world tour. I’ve lost count of the number of artists who have announced, “This is the last night of our tour”, giving their final performance that extra bit of passion. The months between November and April are when the concert calendar is fullest, the big stars coming down here to escape their winter, and the local bands doing New Zealand-wide tours of summer festivals and small towns. New Zealand has an incredibly vibrant music scene, showcasing more talent than is fair for such a small country, with the roots/reggae/dub/electronica genre especially interesting.

During our 10 years as Kiwis we’ve seen more live music than we ever did living in the UK. That’s because it’s so easy to get tickets through Ticketmaster and Ticketek, or through some venues’ own booking systems. You can also pick them up through Trade Me. Anyone we’ve ever wanted to see we’ve been able to, with the exception of The Eagles whose exorbitant prices were simply ridiculous.

Two big Auckland festivals with an eclectic line-up are the Laneway Festival at Silo Park in Wynyard Quarter: www.auckland.lanewayfestival.com, and the new Auckland City Limits Festival spread over four stages in Western Springs: www.aucklandcitylimits.com For other Auckland music festivals, go to: www.events.nz.com/ auckland/music-festivals/ But it’s not all rock music. Musical productions of West End or Broadway shows often do the rounds here, usually after completing sessions in Australia. You can see anything from Mary Poppins to Phantom of the Opera to Cirque du Soleil, as well as serious plays and comedies. For classical music, the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra is superb. Comedians love New Zealand, and not because they rely on sheep jokes. There’s always someone here having us rolling around in our seats. The NZ International Comedy Festival is an annual event during April and May where funny men and women from around the world descend on Auckland for three weeks: www.comedyfestival.co.nz

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T H A T

Climate Spring and summer runs through October to April, with the hottest months being January and February. The sun is vicious down here, and you will burn very quickly; sunscreen factor 30+ is a must. Winter in Auckland is wet and windy but not overly cold. It’s a pretty sunny country. If it’s snow you want, the North Island’s Tongariro National Park has skiing at Mt Ruapehu. Otherwise, fun in the snow is to be found in the South Island, with skiing and snowboarding near Christchurch and in Queenstown and Wanaka in Otago. If you intend to surf in New Zealand pack a wetsuit.

Crime, personal safety, health New Zealand often tops the “world’s most peaceful country” lists, and it’s fair to say it’s as safe a place to travel about as you are likely to find. But precautions and common sense should apply here as they would anywhere else. Theft from cars and campervans at tourist sites and trailheads is fairly common and many tourists over the years have been fleeced. Don’t leave valuables in cars, and lock your vehicle. Seedy city areas at night should not be walked in alone. Be sensible. New Zealand has something of a reputation for a binge-drinking culture and some areas of cities and towns can display some pretty unruly behaviour at weekends especially. Marijuana remains illegal and is rather potent.

When it comes to dangers in the wild, there are no nasties in New Zealand, no snakes, crocodiles or funnel web spiders. Danger comes from swimming where you shouldn’t, underestimating surf and sea currents and weather conditions in mountain areas, getting lost, or climbing precarious outcrops. In other words – take care, read warnings, be sensible and well prepared.

If you are heading to the west coast of the South Island, take insect repellant for the mosquitoes and sandflies. Mosquitoes here do not carry dangerous diseases. Mosquitoes in the

far north of the North Island can be a problem in summer. You should, or course, have travel insurance if visiting New Zealand. However, if you are unfortunate enough to be injured the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) will provide ”comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover for all New Zealand Residents and visitors to New Zealand”.

Customs If you arrive in New Zealand by air you will be given an exhaustive form asking you to declare any food, plants, parts of plants, or animals alive or dead, along with soil on shoes or anything that might harbour a living organism. Take this form seriously, otherwise you will face instant, large fines. I once had a dog going mental around my bags which it thought contained an apple I had previously discarded. I could have faced a NZ$400 fine had it been found in there. It’s all to do with preventing unwanted pests arriving here which could potentially damage the country’s vital agricultural industry. New Zealand has a terrible record when it comes to importing unwanted pests. Recently a Queensland fruit fly was discovered in West Auckland and that entire region was in lockdown for weeks.

Internet and mobile phones Ultra-fast fibre broadband is being rolled out but not quickly enough for most of us. For the majority of users the copper network does the job but is not especially fast or cheap. Wi-Fi is increasingly available in cafes, malls, hotels, campsites and coaches.

Mobile phone coverage is good (3G & 4G), except in some remote areas. You can buy a New Zealand SIM card and prepay. The three mobile providers are Vodafone, Spark, and 2degrees.

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Mark Meredith is a journalist and photographer who contributes travel writing and photography to the New Zealand Herald and assorted magazines. He also undertakes golf landscape photography for New Zealand golf clubs, occasionally producing coffee table books of the courses he photographs. Previously, during a 10-year spell in Trinidad and Tobago, he was an investigative journalist for the Trinidad Express newspaper, specialising in the environment and tourism. He was a regular contributor to Maco Caribbean Living magazine and Caribbean Airlines’ Caribbean Beat inflight magazine, for whom he wrote and

photographed destination features. He writes a blog on travel, photography and recipes at www.scribblesnz.com.

He is a contributor to Getty Images and mychillybin stock photography agencies.

Mark’s photography can be viewed online at www.scribblesnz.co.nz, where photographs can be purchased by contacting him.