Auckland Region

Black iron-sands sweep across a dramatic stretch of coastline to the west of Auckland. Framed by the rugged forest-clad Waitakere Ranges, and to the north by forest plantations covering the sand dunes south of the Kaipara Harbour, Auckland's west coast features a string of wild surf beaches unrivalled in character by those anywhere else in the country. Many of the distinctive landforms in the area are volcanic, and in cliff faces along the coast you can see columnar jointed lava, formed when it emerged under the sea over 16 million years ago. The iron-sands are also volcanic in origin, having been carried to the coast from Lake Taupo by the Waikato River then swept north by strong ocean currents. This is a magnificent place to escape from the city. Visitors to New Zealand can get the best of both city and country life by hiring a cheap rental car and heading for the coast.

1TITIRANGI

From the North-Western Motorway take the Waterview exit onto the Great North Road. Follow the Great North Rd 2.2 km and continue on Ash St 1.4 km onto Rata St. Continue 1.3 km onto Titirangi Rd 4.1 km to the Titirangi township.
The township of Titirangi (long streaks of cloud in the sky) is the main centre in the Waitakere Ranges and is located at the start of Scenic Drive, which is the main road through these forest covered hills set above Auckland. In the suburbs below are the homes of the proverbial ‘westies’ celebrated in the iconic New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune, while above in the hills, the residents are more bohemian in their lifestyles. A number of famous New Zealanders including singer-songwriter Tim Finn, author Maurice Shadbolt, painter Colin McCahon and photographer Brian Brake have lived in the area, which has its local theatre, art gallery and radio station based in historic Lopdell House. Designed in the Spanish mission style and opened in 1930 as a hotel, Lopdell House is a Titirangi landmark and can be seen on the left hand side of the main road as you drive west through the township. You can also take a 5 minute drive down to French Bay and visit Colin McCahons house, which has been preserved as an example of the weekend baches that were popular in the 1950s.

SCENIC DRIVE

Most of the forest clad hills of the Waitakere Ranges are now part of the 64,000 ha Auckland Centennial Park. The ranges were formed from lava flows created by an immense volcano 60 km across, that began erupting under the sea about 25 million years ago. Eventually pushed up from the seabed over millions of years by the pressure created as two of the plates that make up the Earth's crust collide, this volcanic rock is what makes up the Waitakere Ranges. For millions of years a lush subtropical rainforest covered the ranges and although most of the big trees were logged in the hundred years between 1835 and 1935, today the forest is regenerating in the fertile volcanic soils. The Waitakere Ranges have their own microclimate with a much higher rainfall than in nearby Auckland.

2ARATAKI VISITOR CENTRE

From the Tititrangi Township head west on Titirangi road to the roundabout and take the second exit onto Scenic Drive and continue 4.7 km to the entrance to the Rainforest Express carpark which is on the left. Continue 1 km west on Scenic Drive to the Arataki Visitor Centre which is on the left.
The Waitakere Ranges are criss crossed with over 250 km of walking tracks of varying lengths and the best place to get information on these walks and other park activities is at the Arataki Visitor Centre. There is an audio visual display, a range of exhibits and elevated viewing platforms looking into the forest canopy, as well as a Nature Trail made up of three loop tracks through the forest. Plant and tree species are labelled and include a 600 year old kauri with a girth of 8m. From the road throught the subtropical rainforest that covers the Waitakere Ranges, you can see kauri, kahikatea and rimu trees rising above the forest canopy. Most of the big trees were logged in between 1835 and 1935, but today the forest is regenerating in the fertile volcanic soils covering these hills, in an area where the rainfall is much higher than in nearby Auckland.

Piha Beach.

3PIHA

Head northwest 4.2 km on the Scenic Drive then turn left onto Piha Road and continue 12.7 km, continuing 1 km on Seaview Road before turning left into Beach Valley Road which leads 0.2 km to the beach.
Once located at the end of a dusty, winding, gravel road, Piha is still a wild west coast surf beach, notorious for its rips and undertow, but today it can be reached on a well sealed road. Piha is watched over by trained surf-lifesavers and visitors should always swim between the flags. If you want to explore the small cove to the south at high tide, there is a walking track that climbs around the bluffs starting at the end of the carpark. The keyhole is a prominent feature as the incoming tide funnels waves through this narrow cave from the ocean through into the bay. A few minutes further south there are more blowholes in the coastal cliffs near an opening called the Gap. One of the predominent features of the landscape at Piha, Lion Rock is an eroded remnant of an ancient volcanic plug that rises 101m from the sea. A steep climb leads up to a lookout with views north along the coast. Behind Piha beach there are a number of walks leading into the hills, including a short walk from the end of Glen Esk Road to the three tiered 40m high Kitekite Falls. There is a pool at the top of the falls that is a popular place for swimming.

4 KAREKARE BEACH

Return 0.2 km on Beach Valley Road and turn right onto Seaview Road, continuing 1 km onto Piha Road then drive 3.0 km and turn right onto Karekare Road and drive 2.7 km down to the beach access.

With its towering volcanic spires and lava bluffs, Karekare is one of the most picturesque of Aucklands' west coast beaches. There is a small 25 m high waterfall that can be reached on a short 5 minute track leading from Lone Kauri Road near the beach, but the best walk is probably along the coast to the south which leads along the route of an old tramway from Karekare to Whatipu Beach and the entrance to the Manukau Harbour. There is a tunnel used by the railway cut through the bluffs and further south is the entrance to the spectacular volcanic gorge of the Pararaha Valley.

COASTAL TRAMWAY

Heading south along the beach from Karekare you can walk all the way to Whatipu along one of the more remote and wild surf beaches on Auckland's west coast. At the southern end of Auckland's Waitakere Ranges you will find the entrance to the Manukau Harbour. The currents are strong here and swimming isn't advised as there is no life-saving service. In 1863 the sand bar just inside the entrance to the harbour was the site of New Zealand's worst shipwreck when the Royal Navy steam corvette HMS Orpheus ran aground and sank with 189 of those on board drowning. The area was a centre for the logging industry in the mid 1800s, with acres of sawn timber stacked along the beaches. A timber mill was built to the south at Whatipu in 1867 and a tramline was built to a second timber mill 3 km north in 1870, the line eventually extending 14 km north to Piha and Anawhata. The logs were transported on the tramway line, which followed the cliffs and in places was built on trestles above the sand. The line ended at the Paratutae Island wharf near the entrance to the Manukau Harbour, where the timber was loaded on to ships and transported to Onehunga. A steam engine used to haul the timber is said to be buried beneath one of the sand dunes. The mills closed in 1886 when the kauri ran out.

4PARARAHA VALLEY

Head southwest 0.2 km on Karekare Road onto Lone Kauri Road and continue 2.9 km to the carpark and the start of the Odlin Timber track on the right.

Probably the best way to explore the Pararaha Valley is to start at the top of the ranges and walk downhill to the coast. There are two tracks following the ridges on both sides of the Valley, the Buck Taylor track which heads down the north side of the valley and the Walker Ridge track leading down a ridge to the south but the most exciting way to explore the valley is to bush crash down the stream. From the road follow the Odlin Timber track which leads to upper reaches of the Pararaha stream, then follows the route down the stream through the gorge where ropes and handlines will help you negotiate a few of the steeper parts. The stream descends through the Pararaha Valley with its spectacular lava bluffs before finally emerging at the beach near Pararaha Point. There is an old log jam near the end of the gorge as well as a campsite and you will see the Buck Taylor track which leads back up to the car park, but the best way to make the trip is to organise to get picked up, so you can continue across the marshland out onto the sand dunes and then back north along the beach to Karekare. The trip covers about 6 km but you should allow a full day to make the journey.

5ROSE HELLABY HOUSE

Head northeast on Lone Kauri Road 5.3 km and turn right onto Piha Road then continue 8.7 km and turn left onto the Scenic Drive. Continue 0.5 km to Rose Hellaby house on the right.
Built in 1939, Rose Hellaby House is one of the original guesthouses in the area. With one of the noisiest and most imaginative museum exhibits in Auckland, the display's on the area's history feature equipment used by Maori to trap fish and spear birds, a bushman's camp, a kauri dam and old milking machines. Open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the museum concentrates on the lifestyles of the Maori and early European settlers and regularly features new displays.

Sea cave, Bethells Beach.

6BETHELLS BEACH

Continue west on the Scenic Drive 10.1 km and turn left into Te Henga Road then continue 3.9 km to Bethells Road and continue 7.1 km to the entrance to the beach access carpark on the right.
Located at the mouth of the Waitakere River, Bethells Beach features the distinctive volcanic cliffs that are characteristic of this part of the coast as well as a massive sea cave that you can walk to at the southern end of the beach. Behind the sand dunes which have accumulated over thousands of years, there are freshwater lakes in the Te Henga Valley. Surfing is a popular activity on the beach along with parasailing and hang gliding. You can also walk north around the next bay past a series of small blowholes in the cliffs and over the sand dunes to O’neill Bay with its small caves and rugged forest clad shoreline.

To get back to SH16 and Kumeu, return north along Bethells Road 7.2 km then turn left and continue on Bethells Road 4.2 km and turn left onto Waitakere Road. Continue 9.6 km on Waitakere Road then turn right onto Access Road and continue 0.1 km to Kumeu.