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Remember to be a tidy Kiwi!

All our regional parks are rubbish free. Whether you call it rubbish, trash or garbage, please bag it all up and recycle it or throw it away when you return home.

Important notice

Track Closures

Following the decision by the Environment and Community Committee to close a number of tracks and implement a further programme of high and medium risk track closures, staff and rangers have been working hard to identify more tracks for closure.

A rāhui has been placed over the Waitākere Ranges by iwi Te Kawerau a Maki. This cultural restriction by the mana whenua of the area urges people to stay away from the ranges to allow the forest to heal. The council supports the principles of the rāhui and recommends alternative walking and tramping tracks across the Auckland region.

The list below includes additional tracks identified since the committee meeting on 5 December. Long-term closures are in place for the following tracks:

Home Track (Partial) - Piha
Upper Huia Dam Track - Piha
Quarry Track - Piha
Arthur Mead - Piha
Forbes Track - Piha
Maungaroa Ridge Track - Piha
Mc Kenzie Track - Piha
Zion Ridge Track – Karekare

The following tracks, which have been temporarily closed for more than five years, are now permanently closed and will be decommissioned.

Lucy Cranwell Track - Piha
Latrobe Track - Partial - Karekare

If visiting open areas of the ranges, or any kauri forest:

Clean all soil off your footwear and other gear every time you enter or leave a forest area with native trees and at every cleaning station
Use disinfectant after you have removed all the soil
Stay on track and off kauri roots.

For more information about kauri dieback disease click here.

About

Park facilities

Park activities

Tracks

History

About Karekare

Karekare is a popular surf beach, and a coastal settlement. It is a geographically contained area with constrained vehicle access and limited parking capacity. Council provides and manages the carpark and public toilets at the main car park. There is a pou whenua situated alongside this car park.

Park information

Pedestrian access:	Open 24 hours
Summer gate opening hours:	8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Daylight savings)
Winter gate opening hours:	8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Non daylight savings)
Distance from CBD:	50 km
Park map:	Click here to download a park map

Dog walking restrictions

All dogs must be on a lead at Karekare. Dogs are prohibited access to Whatipu Scientific Reserve and adjacent Crown Foreshore via Karekare south of Karekare beach.

Click here for information about which regional parks allow restricted dog walking

How to get to Karekare

Head along the north-western motorway. Get off at Lincoln Road. At the end of Lincoln Road turn into Great North Road. At first set of lights turn right into Henderson Valley Road. At the roundabout take Forest Hill Road and drive to the end. Turn right into West Coast Road. At the end of West Coast Road turn right into Scenic Drive. Travel approximately 200m and take Piha Road at the junction. Karekare and Anawhata are signposted off Piha Road.

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Maps

Download park map

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Get directions with Google Maps

Park facilities

Camping McCreadies Paddock Campground Odlins 2 Campground

Beaches

Karekare is a wild surf beach with black sand.

Interpretation

Limited mobility toilet

There are wheelchair accessible toilets.

Mobility access (partial)

Native bush

Notice board

Parking

Overflow parking is available in Pohutakawa clearing.

Ranger contact phone

Sealed access road

Toilet block

Park activities

Camping - back country

Dog walking with restrictions

All dogs must be on a lead at Karekare. Dogs are prohibited access to Whatipu Scientific Reserve and adjacent Crown Foreshore via Karekare south of Karekare beach.

Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Click here to obatin rules and guidelines for flying UAVs and drones. In particular pay attention to the code of conduct.

Fishing

Remember that fishing on the west coast can be dangerous as waves are unpredictable. Always wear a lifejacket.

Picnics

Sightseeing

Surfing

On a good day the surf can be great at Karekare. Like all adventure activities ensure you have assessed the potential risks and that the location is appropriate for your level of experience. The beach is not patrolled year round. For more information on surf conditions check http://www.surf.co.nz.

Swimming

Take extra care when swimming at Karekare. Swim between the flags.

Volunteering

For Volunteering at 'Ark in the Park', see www.arkinthepark.org.nz or contact us on (09) 810 7014.

Walks (1 hour or more)

For the more adventurous, take one of the tracks that venture up the hill and be rewarded with views over the beach. See track details below. Click on the links below for track information:

Walks (less than 1 hour)

Wedding or civil union

Karekare is a popular spot for ceremonies, and with good reason. Locations such as the Karekare Falls, North beach and the Glade are all stunning locations in their own right. A number of options also exist on private land. If you are thinking Karekare might be the spot for your day please call the Arataki Visitor Centre on 09 817 0077 to discuss your requirements. The park is popular and early bookings are essential.

Tracks

Pohutukawa Glade Walk 0.16 hour - 0.5 km Pohutukawa Glade Walk is not so much a walking track as an experience. This trail provides access to the southern end of Karekare beach; however, it is the path beneath the majestic spreading Pohutakawa branches that is the attraction.

Mercer Bay Loop Walk 1 hour - 1.4 km A favourite, all-season track through low coastal scrub, the Mercer Bay Loop Walk is a great spot to clear the cobwebs. Stop and watch the sunset or introduce visiting friends and relations to the wild west coast of Auckland.

Buck Taylor Track ¾ hour - 1.8 km From the carpark on Lone Kauri Road, the track climbs to a gate, then continues down a ridge, dropping steeply to meet Pararaha Valley Track beside Waihuna Stream.

Odlin Timber Track 2 hour - 2.8 km Though the track goes all the way to Orange Peel Corner (providing access to the Huia area networks), this track is mostly used to access the Pararaha and Cowans streams.

Taraire Track ½ hour - 0.9 km The first ten minutes of this track heads to the picnic area at the foot of the Karekare Falls. This area is popular with weddings and tourist groups; however, it is also a great place to escape the sun during a day at the beach.

Zion Hill Track 1.3 hour - 3.6 km Zion Hill Track is a great track with a reasonably good surface. There are even a few seats and viewing areas to allow you to catch a breath. The track allows you to create a great day outing by linking with the Pohutukawa Glade Walk to Karekare Beach.

Zion Ridge Track ¾ hour - 1.4 km Under Kauri Dieback Management.

Ahu Ahu Track 1 hour - 2.2 km The track runs from a bend in Te Ahu Ahu Road just before the A-frame house. The track follows the old bridle path on a steeply graded descent to Watchman Road.

Cave Rock Track ¾ hour - 0.3 km Steep track leads off to the left at the beginning of Pohutukawa Glade, and winds uphill to the top of bluffs above a Maori shelter cave.

Comans Track 1 hour - 1.4 km From Ahu Ahu Track, Comans Track (rocky and steep in places) follows the cliff-top above Mercer Bay with excellent views, before it descends steeply to a saddle behind The Watchman, a short distance from Watchman Road.

History

For many centuries the west coast was occupied by Te Kawerau ā Maki, the local iwi. They established käinga (settlements) and cultivated land around the sheltered stream mouths, benefitting from the rich seafood of this area.

Prominent headlands and islands such as Whakaari (Lion Rock) at Piha and Te Kaka Whakaara (The Watchman) at Karekare (originally known as Waikarekare - ‘the bay of the boisterous seas’) provided ideal places to build protective pā (fortifications).

Most of the Piha and Karekare areas were purchased from Māori in the mid 19th century and allocated in Crown grants. Both Whites Beach and Mercer Bay are named after early landowners.

The area was intensely milled for kauri timber and remnants of the industry can still be seen, including timber dams and remains of a coastal tramway that ran across Karekare Beach. Milling finally stopped in 1921, allowing the kauri to regenerate.

From the late 19th century, the west coast became a holiday destination and coaches took holiday makers to boarding houses, while others camped informally at Piha and Karekare. Roads were improved by relief workers during the depression of the 1930s and bus services began. Bach communities developed and the first of three existing surf clubs opened at Piha in 1934.

Today, in contrast to remote Anawhata, Piha and Karekare have developed into busy seaside communities, with permanent residents joining the still significant number of holiday bach owners.