24 hours in Auckland for beach lovers
Friday, 3 May 2024
Auckland is blessed with beaches as diverse as the city itself (and it has been named the most diverse city in the world), so it can be hard to decide which to visit during a short stay.
Given the city’s vast geographical spread, it’s a good idea to pick a beach you’d love to visit and base yourself there. Takapuna, one of Tāmaki Makaurua’s most popular stretches of sand, has plenty to keep you occupied both on and off the sand. Here are some ideas on how to spend a day there.
Stay
Make like you’re among the super-rich who own homes along Takapuna Beach and check into the Emerald Inn.
Located along The Promenade, just a two-minute stroll from the beach and perennially popular Takapuna Beach Café, it offers both regular and luxury rooms and suites along with a Cape Cod-style holiday home and terracotta-roofed villas.
Like your archetypal Takapuna pad, it boasts a swimming pool and beautifully landscaped gardens.
Morning
A firm favourite with the Takapuna set, the Takapuna Beach Café instantly makes you feel like you’re on holiday with its sweeping views out to Rangitoto island. If the sun’s out, do your best to bag a table on the deck, but floor-to-ceiling windows mean those seated inside don’t have to miss out on the views.
Available until 3pm, breakfast offerings range from the classic eggs Benedict and granola to tasty twists on old favourites - think avocado toast with herbed feta, chilli, dukkha and poached egg - and the more outré scampi folded eggs.
Lengthy, with stand-out views of Rangitoto, Takapuna Beach is perfect for a morning walk. If you have kids, make sure you leave time for them to enjoy the large, all-abilities playground.
While a beautiful spot for a swim in summer, the water’s likely to be too chilly for most at this time of year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and enjoy it. Girls Get Out There offers a 75-minute intro session to standup paddleboarding, along with tours that will see you explore the rugged coastline and stop off at a private sandy beach for a swim or to stretch your legs.
If you’re visiting on a Sunday, checkout the long-running market at Waiwharariki Anzac Square for everything from local produce to clothes and jewellery.
Lunch
With more than 100 places to eat and drink in Takapuna it can be hard to know where to start, but Mimosa is a reliable bet. A cute little café serving up organic Kokako coffee in rustic chic surrounds, it serves an array of wholesome vegetarian, vegan and gluten-friendly fare, often with a Japanese bent, along with one of the prettiest acai bowls in the 09.
Street Organics also manages to make healthy fare taste decadent with such options as low-carb waffles with mango and passionfruit coulis and Whittaker’s Dark Ghana chocolate, and gluten- and dairy-free beef rendang.
Afternoon
The North Shore beaches form part of Te Araroa Trail, which stretches the length of New Zealand, meaning you can beach hop on foot if you have the time and inclination.
Sadly, the walkway between Takapuna and Milford beaches has been closed due to a spat between property owners and the council but, at low tide, it’s possible to follow the coast from the southern end of Takapuna Beach to pretty St Leonards and Narrow Neck beaches. At high tide, you can take Clifton and Lake roads to St Leonard Rd, from which you can descend a steep staircase to the often-quiet St Leonards Beach.
If you’d prefer to reach your daily step count shopping, Takapuna makes it easy with boutique stores along Hurstmere Road and the whole shebang at the Shore City Shopping Centre.
Evening
For pre-dinner drinks, head to Taylors on Hurstmere, a relaxed wine bar that also pours a good craft beer and serves up flavoursome tasting plates such as ‘tequila chicken’ with guacamole, mango chutney and salsa, jackfruit bao buns and beef sliders.
If you’re in the mood for comfort food, food truck turned permanent restaurant Lil Ragu turns out pasta dishes a true Italian nonna would be proud of. The pappardelle with slow-cooked pork and fennel sausage and truffle cream is among the most popular dishes, and the tiramisu is arguably among the best in Auckland.
Named after one of New Zealand’s most renowned playwrights, the Bruce Mason Centre puts on shows ranging from comedy to classical ballet, while the not-for-profit PumpHouse Theatre offers everything from plays, musicals and dance to seminars, workshops, poetry readings and, in summer, outdoor Shakespeare.
Alternatively, the independent Takapuna Beachside Cinemas shows everything from Hollywood blockbusters to classic and speciality movies.
Here longer than 24 hours?
The northenmost of the North Shore’s east coast bays, Long Bay makes for a lovely day out. On sunny summer days, it has something of a festival vibe, with families and groups of friends picnicking under pōhutukawa on the grass behind the beach’s golden sands.
You can still feel like you’re getting away from it all though. The bay forms part of a 160-hectare regional park, which features a coastal track to quieter Granny’s and Pōhutukawa bays (the latter is popular with naturists but is not a designated nudist beach). The track continues to the Okura River for a 6km return trip with clifftop views of the Hauraki Gulf.
For a very different Auckland experience, drive out west to Karekare, a black-sand beauty with movie star credentials (Jane Campion’s The Piano was filmed there in 1993).
You’ll need to follow a super-windy road through thick bush and cross a stream to get to it, but the sweaty palms on the steering wheel and wet feet are worth it – the relative difficulty in getting there only adds to the sense of blissful isolation.
Glinting silver when dry and mirroring bush-clad cliffs when wet, its scolding hot sands seem to stretch on forever, meaning you can always find a place to plonk your towel in peace. Jump over the giant waves (taking care to stay between the flags), surf, slide down sand dunes that look like the dark side of the moon, and take in sweeping views of the dramatic coastline from one of the walking tracks.
For a more leisurely stroll, follow the five-minute trail to Karekare Falls – a sweet swimming spot in summer and a much more relaxing experience than taking on the often pumping surf.