Kauri Point Centennial Park on the North Shore is beautiful. It combines a walk through a coastal forest, including kauri regrowth, substantial viewpoints of the Waitematā Harbour and Auckland Downtown from Kauri Point / Te Mātārae ō Mana, and lovely Kendall Bay on the Waitematā Harbour. It is easy to combine the walk with the nearby Chatswood Reserve with its 400-year-old kauri trees and the Chelsea Estate Heritage Park.
Several connected tracks start on Onetaunga Road, with the most apparent entrance for signposted Brian Norton Track opposite the intersection with Chelsea View Drive, the main access road into the suburb of Chatswood. The other entrances are short distances along Onetaunga Road. With some steep steps, Brian Norton Track heads down the hill towards Kauri Point / Te Mātārae ō Mana in a recovering kauri forest. As the track approaches the point, it swings west with a short hike down to the beach at Kendall Bay. The beach is quite secluded and safe for swimming. It is a perfect spot for a picnic or lying about in the sand.
From the west end of the beach, you can access a second track that takes you back to the road. Other tracks take you to the point at the cliff's top on the bay's west side. This is less well maintained and may be a bit muddy after rain. From the Brian Norti=n Track, you can also walk east along the coast to the Chelsea Estate Heritage Park.
The point and bay were occupied by Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi. Te Mātārae ō Mana, the Māori name for the point, means “the brow of mana” and was an important fortified pā on the North Shore. The surrounding land was forested, but the bay was perfect for fishing and food gathering. Early European attempts to farm the area were unsuccessful due to the low quality of the soil, and the land was eventually acquired as part of the establishment of the Chelsea Sugar Refinery. After the Harbour Bridge opened in the 1960s, the refinery released the land for development, leading to the creation of the suburb of Chatswood in the 1970s and the setting aside of the park and the nearby Chatswood Reserve for recreation.
