Whangaparaoa is a scenic, 11 km long peninsula reaching into the Hauraki Gulf and it’s common to see orcas or dolphins in the surrounding waters. You can walk from one side of the peninsula to the other in about 20 minutes. Located at the tip is Shakespear Regional Park with one of New Zealand’s most visited open sanctuaries. It’s surrounded by a pest-proof fence allowing rare native birds to thrive and offers 360 degree views of the gulf, and the Auckland skyline in the distance. A ferry runs from nearby Gulf Harbour directly to downtown Auckland in 40 minutes, making this area a popular commuter hub.
We chose this destination for no reason other than we did not want to drive more than 6 hours in one day, and there are some nice beaches around here. While our Airbnb was lovely, the trek to the beach was a bit more extreme than was advertised, especially with paddleboards in tow. Combine this with a few days of wet weather and we decided to make the most of the local gym.
Going stir-crazy from the wind and rain we found ourselves at Snowplanet, not far from Whangaparaoa. It is New Zealand’s only indoor snow facility, featuring 8,000 square meters of real snow for year-round activities. We stayed warm in the 7 Summits Bar with a drink while watching the skiers and snowboarders slide down the slope. The last time we visited an indoor ski slope was in Dubai, UAE.
As the weather improved, we realized our little slice of paradise was… well, a little too quiet. Every ‘Top 10’ list of activities came up with things to do in Auckland 🤔 That’s when we focused on Shakespear Regional Park. The ‘open sanctuary’ combines a working farm, a pest-free wildlife haven and popular recreation areas. The park is enclosed by a 1.7 km long pest-proof fence creating a safe harbor for the Little Spotted Kiwi and rare native birds. Our first visit was a drive through the hills and scouting the beaches, eventually finding the iconic giant picture frame to capture the view.
With the sun finally on our side, we headed back to Shakespear for round two, this time on foot. The park features several well-marked loops ranging from 2.5 km to 5 km long. We decided to tackle the 5 km Tiritiri Track beginning with a stunning climb to a panoramic 360-degree viewpoint where the rugged cliffs drop off into the ocean and the Auckland skyline shimmers in the distance. The track promised well marked loops but apparently we’re the exception, because we still managed to get lost, but only once 😂 The trail eventually emerged at Te Haruhi Bay, a popular spot for kite surfing, windsurfing and wing foiling. The Saturday winds were out in full force, turning the bay into a high-speed playground for everyone out on the water.
Over the hill from our front door was Stanmore Bay. At low tide, the bay reveals a sprawling 2 km stretch of golden sand. Our Sunday morning walk was perfect for clearing our head and making us forget about the 4 days of bad weather we endured.
That’s a wrap on our quiet week in Whangaparaoa. Now we’re headed north up to Waipapa, on the doorstep of the Bay of Islands….