There are several lovely beaches around the west side of the Manukau Harbour, especially once you get to the Karangahape Peninsula and Waitakere Regional Park.
Compared to the neighbouring west coast surf beaches, the Manukau Harbour beaches might seem a bit tame and lacking in drama. However, there are certainly benefits – they’re safer for younger humans and swimmers, usually have lovely areas for picnicking, walking or just hanging out, and several are framed by native bush. Sure, they don’t look as striking as Piha and Te Tenga / Bethells, tamed by their enclosure within the Manukau Heads, but they’re certainly worth a visit as the days warm up.
Last week we explored walking tracks at the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges, also worth checking out if you’re planning a day at the beach.
Mill Bay
Mill Bay is a small, pretty beach just off the Huia Road, shortly before the turnoff onto the Karangahape Peninsula and Cornwallis. There are two entrances, so don’t panic if you miss the first one. The beach itself is sheltered by cliffs and gorgeous forest regrowth, including many nikau palms and ti kouka (cabbage trees).
On the day of these pictures, there was also a very large group of oystercatchers hanging around. Generally you only see these birds in pairs, so presumably the Manukau Harbour sand flats provide plenty of food at low tide.
Cornwallis Beach
Cornwallis Beach is on the eastern side of the Karangahape Peninsula, and is the best known beach accessible from Huia Road. It gets pretty popular over summer, but there’s plenty of space with a large grassy area behind the beach, framed by native regrowth and older pine trees, and a couple of bush walks.
The walk along the beach to the Cornwallis Wharf as the tide goes out is also lovely, with colourful cliffs, a mix of back and orange sand, and rock pools. To get to Cornwallis Beach, take the signposted turnoff from Huia Road and then a second short road to the main parking area.
Cornwallis Wharf
Cornwallis wharf is quite striking, a good fishing spot with a large grassy embankment above the cliff to the south. On the south side of the wharf is Puponga Point – we’ve written about the walk to the top of the Point here.
The wharf itself dates back to 1927, and was reconstructed to its original length of 193 metres in 1999 after a public fundraising appeal (hence the name plaques on the planks). You can walk from Cornwallis Beach to the Cornwallis wharf, or stay on the peninsula road for a couple of kilometres after the beach turnoff to find the car park.
Kaitarakihi Peninsula
The very pretty Kaitarakihi beach is a genuine surprise, surrounded by native forest and with easy walking below the cliffs to the north as the tide goes out.
It’s easy to miss the access to the beach, so take care. Shortly after the Kakamatua Inlet track turnoff on Huia Road there’s a sign for Kaitarakihi Road. Follow the road for about 200 metres until you see a small parking area for the Spragg Memorial track. Stop there and head down the hill to the beach!
Huia and Little Huia
First of all, we have to admit that Huia is not the prettiest of the Manukau Harbour beaches – the bay encapsulates a large sand and mud flat which is exposed at low tide. However, it’s worth a visit: you can walk and explore right to the edge of the bay, and get some amazing photos of the small town and surrounding bush and trees reflecting off the flats.
There are also a couple of other points of interest, like the viewpoint on Huia Point, looking over Huia and towards the Manukau Heads, just as you start to head down the hill to the township, and a couple of beautiful old pohutukawa trees at the west end of the beach. If you walk around the cliffs at the east end of the bay, you may notice young kauri trees living life literally right on the edge…
If you continue down Huia Road you’ll reach Little Huia, with its rocky peak. It has a small beach at low tide, full of rock pools, and fishing from the side of the road is a popular pass time.
Wonga Wonga Bay
Wonga Wonga Bay is a small, pretty beach near Whatipu. To get there, drive to the Whatipu car park and then head toward Whatipu beach, but when you approach the sand and stream bare left below the cliffs. Walk through the neck between Paratutae Island, which marks the north eastern end of the beach and the entrance to Manukau Harbour. Wonga Wonga Bay lies on the north side of the neck.
Once at Wonga Wonga, you can walk around the north-facing side of Paratutae and check out the large natural rock shelf where you’ll see remnants of a wharf from the days of kauri logging. Wonga Wonga is also a popular fishing spot, but watch out for rogue waves in poor weather as you are on the northern side of the Manukau Heads and more exposed to the ocean.
Whatipu Beach
Aim to leave Wonga Wonga Bay late in the afternoon, and take your time walking across the sand towards the far end of Whatipu Beach and the lagoon. The lowering light creates some especially stunning views of the beach.
Looking for more trip ideas around Auckland?
Check out our recent blogs about walking tracks of the Waitakere Ranges and the west coast beaches.