Long Bay Regional Park is a large Auckland City park that sits on the coast between Torbay and the Okura River mouth. The most northerly section of the North Shore Coastal Walk (also a section of Te Araroa) passes through the park, and the suburb behind the park is the fast-growing Long Bay.
The main feature of the park is Long Bay beach. Behind the beach is a large area of grassed parkland, then a wetland between the park and suburban Long Bay. Although it can be busy on the beach, there’s plenty of parking for visitors. At the north end of the beach is the mouth of Vaughan Stream. From there, the shore becomes mostly cliff-lined, and you can walk along the beach to two smaller bays.
Back along the stream is historic Vaughan Homestead. The area was a farm for 100 years before being purchased by Auckland City in 1965. Near the house there’s a short nature walk with several superb mature puriri trees, plus access to the North Shore Coastal Walk, which goes north above the cliffs to the Okura River.
Alternatively, you can walk below the cliffs and join the North Shore Coastal Walk at Pohutukawa Bay, or continue around Piripiri Point to connect with the track at the Okura River mouth. This park is also the first of several Auckland city regional parks on the northeast coast as you go north.
Long Bay Beach
Long Bay Beach is quite a lot larger than other beaches on the North Shore Coastal Walk. Even when it’s busy, there is plenty of room to spread out, including the large park immediately behind the beach.
Like all of the Auckland northeast coastal beaches, Long Bay is well sheltered in the Hauraki Gulf and safe for swimming. There are also plenty of facilities, including barbeque units and changing and toilet facilities.
Te Araroa also runs along the beach. From the south end of the beach, continue around the rocky coast to Winstone Cove and then Torbay.
Vaughan Stream and Homestead
Vaughan Stream is at the north end of Long Bay Beach, with the homestead on the north side of the stream, just back from the beach. The house has been restored and maintained by the Torbay Historic Society and provides an extra point of interest. The area around the stream is pretty and photogenic, with several mature pohutukawas providing shade for a picnic.
Nature Trail
The nature trail can be walked as a loop from just below the Vaughn Homestead. It also connects with the North Shore Coastal Walk, but the northern section of the trail is most interesting. This section runs through a grove of magnificent mature puriri trees, arguably the best grove of its kind in the region.
Mature puriri trees have a rather decrepit moth-eaten look because they have been chewed on by the puriri moth larvae for up to 5 years. The moth can have a wingspan of up to 15 cm but only lives for a very short time to breed.
Coastline walk
From the north end of Long Bay beach, you can continue along the coastline below the cliffs to Granny’s Bay and Pohutukawa Bay – this is best done towards low tide. These two smaller, pretty bays are separated by rocky platforms and much smaller than the main beach. As the name of the second bay suggests, ancient pohutukawas hanging dramatically from the cliffs are a feature of the walk.
At Pohutukawa Bay, a gap in the cliffs allows you to connect with the North Shore Coastal Walk. Alternatively, you can continue around the base of the cliffs past Puriri Point to connect with the northern end of the North Shore Coastal Walk on the edge of the Okura River mouth.
North Shore Coastal Walk
The North Shore Coastal Walk, also a section of Te Araroa, follows the main Long Bay beach. The walk then heads inland to the south of the Vaughan Stream and winds up the hills behind the sea cliffs. It then crosses the farm section of Long Bay Regional Park, more or less following the cliff tops. You can continue as far as the Okura River, which marks the end of the North Shore Coastal Walk track (whereas Te Araroa crosses the river and continues on around the Karepiro Bay coast to Stillwater).
Several excellent viewpoints are available from the track, including one that looks back down the main beach. You can access the shoreline again at Pohutukawa Bay or the Okura River and return via the shoreline.
Sunset
This section of the North Shore Coastal Walk was also a wonderful place for sunsets. Here’s a selection of our favourite photos.
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