The North Shore is the area of Auckland City on the north side of the Waitematā Harbour, as far as the Ōkura River and Long Bay on the east coast of the Hauraki Gulf. It is mostly suburban, with the beach suburbs on the northeast coast of the Hauraki Gulf the best known. These include Devonport, Takapuna, Campbells Bay, Milford Beach, Mairangi Bay, Murrays Bay, Rothesay Bay, Browns Bay, Torbay and Long Bay Beach. Connecting with the attractive beaches along the coast by road and on foot on the North Shore Coastal Walk (also a section of Te Araroa).
Less well-known are some fabulous small to mid-size parks and short forest walks throughout the North Shore. Before Europeans arrived, much of this primarily rugged region was covered in kauri forest. As with the Waitākere Ranges to the west, this was decimated, followed by farming and rapid urbanisation after the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in the early 1960s. However, reserves and parks were set aside, and there are pockets of kauri and other native trees throughout the region. Some of the best places to explore for native trees, from south to north, are Le Roys Reserve, Kauri Glen Reserve, Kauri Point Centennial Park, Chatswood Reserve, Leigh Scenic Reserve, Gills Scenic Reserve and Awaruku Bush Reserve.
In addition, there are several other points of interest around the northern edge of the Watemāta Harbour, between the Harbour Bridge and Kauri Point Domain. Stokes Point, under the north end of the Harbour Bridge, was the location of a significant Māori pā, and nearby Halls Beach is attractive with its pōhutukawa trees and cliffs. A walk from Chelsea Bay connects Chatwood Reserve, Kauri Point Centennial Park and beautiful Kendall Bay. Kirkpatrick Bay in Kauri Point Domain is also a pleasant surprise with a sandy beach. Many of these areas are accessible from Downtown Auckland by bus or ferry services, plus some walking.
Geologically, North Shore is mainly uplifted sandstone and mudstone around 20 million years ago. This explains the extensive and often colourful eroding cliffs around the Waitemāta Harbour and Hauraki Gulf. Much more recent was the activity of the local Auckland Isthmus volcanic field. Lake Pupuke in Takapuna erupted 193,000 years ago. The result was the burial of a coastal kauri forest at the north end of Takapuna Beach. You can see the fantastic fossilised remains at low tide. Two younger volcanic craters are immediately south of Lake Pupuke, Tank Farm, also known as Tuff Crater (Te Kōpua ō Matakamokamo), and Onepoto (Te Kōpua ō Matakerepo). They are a few thousand years younger than Pupuke.
Tāmaki Māori settled the region in the 1200s and 1300s. European settlers arrived during the 1840s, the land was acquired, and the forests quickly disappeared. By the early 1900s, the area was a centre of fruit growing, while the Hauraki Gulf coast was a tourism destination for Aucklanders. There were early European communities around Devonport and Birkenhead, which were easily accessed by ferry from downtown. However, most of the development of the North Shore is relatively modern and follows the construction of the Harbour Bridge in the 1960s. From 1989, several local councils were combined as North Shore City until this was merged into Auckland City in 2010.
The name "North Shore" was used by the settlers from 1843. Māori predominantly used the names Takapuna and Awataha. Takapuna was initially given to a spring at Maungauika / North Head but had spread up the Devonport Peninsula to the southeast end of the region when Europeans arrived. Today, Te Whenua Roa o Kahu and Te Raki Paewhenua are the two most commonly used Māori names for the North Shore. Te Whenua Roa o Kahu means the greater lands of Kahu. It refers to Kahu, a granddaughter of Maki, who gave the Tamaki iwi its name from Te Kawerau ā Maki. Kahu lived on the North Shore. Te Raki Paewhenua, which literally means North Shore, has been commonly used in modern times.
