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NEW ZEALAND | Auckland, New Zealand Travel Guide
Thursday, November 28, 2024
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Farther North of Auckland
Farther North & West
While there are definite draws in the city center, I think the best part of Auckland is to the west – specifically in the Waitakere Park Ranges – a magical spot only 40 minutes away and Auckland’s largest regional park. Covering over 21,000 acres, the Waitakeres are popular for walking, biking and surfing. Heading out of Auckland, aim for the Arataki Visitor Centre. You’ll be outfitted with maps (Waitakere Ranges Track Map $8) and brochures and there is also a well-stocked gift shop. At the entrance to the center is a Pou, a guardian post, carved by local iwi (tribes). At 11 meters (35 feet), it is one of the largest in New Zealand. You can get permits and information about camping in the ranges at the visitor center.
Farther North & East
Heading out of Auckland towards Northland, SH1 will lead you out of the North Shore suburbs and into the more laid-back Rodney district. I’m sometimes in such a rush to get farther north that I blast through here, but there are definitely places to stop and enjoy. Just past Albany (you’re still really urbanized here) is Long Bay Regional Park, with a popular sandy beach. It gets crowded, but not a bad place to stop and let the kids run around. Continuing north, you’ll get to the turnoff for Whangparaoa Peninsula and the Shakespeare Regional Park. There are beaches and bays, cliffs, lookouts and walks, as well as a narrow-gauge railway. Just four km (two miles) out to sea, is Tiritiri Matangi Island. You can catch a ferry from Gulf Harbour out to the island.
Orewa, the first town you’ll arrive in once you leave the grips of the Auckland suburbs, is a pleasant town with a long sandy beach and a few beach-front motels. Just a few clicks north is Waiwera, most known for the Waiwera Thermal Resort, located at 21 Main Road; open daily from 9 am to 10 pm, it’s a good place to stop off for a soak. There are 26 (!) naturally heated mineral pools as well as a spa-therapy center and water slides – clearly, something for everyone in your car.
Just north of Waiwera is the Wenderholm Regional Park – the first of Auckland’s regional parks and one of the most beautiful. Great beaches, magnificent pohutukawa trees, walking tracks that vary from 20 minutes to a couple of hours and mangrove swamps all tie together to make this a fine place for a few hours exploration or a picnic.
Puhoi was settled by pioneers from Bohemia in 1863. It is now home to a small population of their descendants, the very popular Puhoi Tavern, and also Puhoi Cheese and its Art of Cheese Café. You can rent a canoe or kayak from Puhoi River Canoe Hire and paddle the Puhoi River to Wenderholm Regional Park, eight km (five miles). Guided trips are available or you can go out on your own.
Last updated November 25, 2007
Posted in New Zealand | Auckland
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