Achilles Point is a headland and rocky promontory east of Saint Heliers in Auckland. It has high cliffs and faces northwest over Ladies Bay towards the Waitamtā Harbour and northeast over Gentlemens Bay and Browns Island / Motukorea to Waiheke Island to the northeast. The views of Rangitoto to the north are exceptional.
The point is a 10-minute walk from Saint Heliers, following the path on Cliff Road from the end of Tamaki Drive. There are also a few car parks next to the viewing platform at the top of the point. From there, you can also take some stairs down to Ladies Bay, a nudist beach, then round the rocky point into Gentlemens Bay, also used by nudists. At low tide, it is an easy walk to Karaka Bay, right in the mouth of the Tamaki River and opposite Musik Point / Te Naupata.
The point and wider area was called Te Pane o Horoiwi (the Head of Horoiwi), the pre-European Māori name. Auckland City renamed it Achilles Point in 1940 in honour of the New Zealand cruiser HMS Achilles and her crew. In December 1939, Achilles, with two other Royal Navy ships, attacked the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. It was the first NZ action in World War II and the first-ever NZ naval battle. It took place off the coast of Argentina and became known as the Battle of the River Plate. The Graf Spee was sufficiently damaged that her captain elected to scuttle her in the river mouth rather than risk capture.
