White Sand and Waves at Tawharanui

One of  Auckland’s most beautiful beaches is found in a secluded peninsula past Matakana. It’s the Tawharanui Regional Park, a 588-hectare open sanctuary that also includes wetlands, pastures, and a coastal forest.

There’s so  much to do at Tawharanui (pronounced as tah-fah-noo-wee) in and out of the water. For landlubbers, options are bird watching, hiking, sightseeing, camping, mountain biking, viewing farm animals, having a picnic by the lake or by the beach. As for those who aren’t scared of getting wet, choices are swimming by the lake or sea, surfing, and diving. Kids (and adults) get a kick welcoming the waves and bodyboarding, too.

Tawharanui includes a bookable bach (a.k.a. a small house or cottage) for a maximum of six persons that has a kitchen/dinning area, with a separate lounge, and three bedrooms, as well as a bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink. Rental is for a maximum duration of seven nights on peak seasons (October to May, all weekends, and public holidays) and 14 nights on off peak seasons. Off peak, the bach costs $80 per night and on weekends and peak times at $120 a night.  For more information please contact the Auckland Regional Council at 09 3662000 or email parks@arc.govt.nz.

Body boarding the Tawharanui waves

Other park facilities are a camp site, long drop/vault toilets, picnic tables, potable tap water, and ample parking.

As all Auckland parks, entrance to Tawharanui is free. This summer, it opens as early as 6:00am and closes at 9:00pm; while in winter, the park opens at 6:00am and closes at 7:00pm.

To get there, just take the State Highway 1 north to Warkworth and follow the signs to Matakana. A little past Matakana, turn right at the Omaha turn off, and drive along Takatu Rd with the last 6km of the route being a winding gravel road.

Tawharanui Regional Park is well sign posted. From Auckland CDB, the drive will take about an hour-and-a-half. Note, however, that the park has limited mobility access, with no formed path to the beach.  There is also only one designated mobility car park at Anchor Bay and wheelchair accessible toilets only at Anchor Bay and Jones Bay. For special access provisions contact us on 09 366 2000. Tawharanui Regional Park (map)
Photo credit: Taken by my friend, Cherry Thelmo-Fernandez, when she and her family went to Tawharanui earlier this month with relatives and friends

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