Te Henga Bethells Beach is a broad and long black sand surf beach on the west coast of the Waitākere Ranges, Auckland. The primary access is along Te Henga Road, followed by Bethells Road from the northwest end of Scenic Drive. There is some accommodation around Te Henga, but no camping. A vehicle is needed to get there, and it takes about an hour from Downtown Auckland.
From the car park at the end of Bethells Road, it’s about a 500-metre walk alongside the Waitākere River outlet to reach the beach. This makes it less busy than the more accessible Piha and Muriwai beaches, but it is still popular in summer. Services are limited, with just a (good) caravan shop and cafe at the end of the car park.
There is patrolled swimming immediately to the south of the Waitākere River outlet to the sea. At the south end of the beach is a large sea cave, and it is possible to walk around the point at low tide to Wigmore Bay. The north end has access to additional interesting exploration options. These include Waitakere Bay and its caves and O’Neill Bay. Before the beach car park, there is access to the Lake Wainamu Track and Te Henga Walkway from Bethells Road.
The obvious things to do at the beach are swimming (between the flags), surfing, surfing or taking a beach walk. The beach is very photogenic, especially at golden hour, and is popular with professional wedding photographers who aim to get that perfect romantic shot.
