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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

Keep Hunua Kauri healthy

Kauri dieback is a deadly disease, killing Kauri trees throughout the Auckland region. The Hunua ranges are currently a healthy Kauri area - help us keep it this way. Click here for more information. Also see information about track closures in the Hunua ranges.

Kauri protection zones

Auckland Council has defined special areas of Kauri in the Hunua Ranges for protection. These zones have dense Kauri forests so tracks pose a high risk of the disease entering the Kauri forest. Tracks through these zones have been closed to public access.

Be aware from March to May is wasp season - and with the particularly dry weather they are around in increased numbers. If you have a known allergy do not go tramping without appropriate medication - mobile phone reception is limited in the Hunua Ranges.

Track closures

The Workman track (rrom Workman road to Mt Workman) a detour is in place.
Mangatangi trig Track (east from the trig to Workman road).

About

Park facilities

Park activities

Tracks

History

About Whakatiwai

Whakatiwai Regional Park is characterised by a series of gravel ridges, which are unique not only in the Auckland region but also internationally significant. The park includes a shelly sand foreshore, and is a haven for migratory birds such as godwits (Kuaka) and knots.

Park information

Pedestrian access:	Open 24 hours
Summer gate opening hours:	Open 24 hours (Daylight savings)
Winter gate opening hours:	Open 24 hours (Non daylight savings)
Distance from CBD:	100 km
Physical address:	1377 East Coast Road, Whakatiwai
Casual group size:	50

Dog walking restrictions

Dogs are allowed under control on leash on the park but are prohibited during lambing and calving season between July and November.

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

How to get to Whakatiwai

Drive south on State Highway 1 and on to State Highway 2 before turning off on to Mangatangi Road. From there take Kaiaua Road to Kaiaua on the coast. Whakatiwai is about 3km north of Kaiaua on the coast.

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Park facilities

Interpretation

Native bush

Parking

Park activities

Bird watching

Dog walking with restrictions

Dogs are allowed under control on leash on the park but are prohibited during lambing and calving season between July and November.

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.

Farm animals - viewing

Mountain biking

Picnics

Sightseeing

Walks (1 hour or more)

Take the Whakatiwai Ridge Rd for spectacular views of the Coromandel. Click on links below for track information:

Wedding or civil union

Weddings and civil unions require a consent to be obtained prior to commencement. Some locations are very popular over the summer months and early booking is recommended. Please contact parks on (09) 261 8001 to discuss your requirements.

Tracks

Whakatiwai Ridge Track 3 hour - 18 km Connects to the Workman Track and Waharau Ridge Loop.

Whakatiwai Track 5.3 hour - 5 km Starting at the Whakatiwai entrance, the Whakatiwai Track climbs to meet the Whakatiwai Ridge and Workman Tracks.

History

Situated on the Firth of Thames (Tīkapa Moana) is the undeveloped Whakatīwai Regional Park (324 hectares) that extends up and into the eastern foothills of the Hūnua Ranges. Like Waharau Regional Park, the park provides a secondary eastern access point to the Hūnua Ranges Regional Park.

Whakatīwai Regional Park is characterised by a series of gravel ridges which are unique to the Auckland region, and internationally significant because of their association with the chenier plains at Miranda. The gravel ridges extend nearly one kilometre inland and abut the foothills of the Hūnua Ranges. They run parallel to the coastline for 5-6 kilometres from just north of Wharekawa, to Kaiaua in the south. The gravel ridges are composed of a series of ridges and hollows, with a height difference of approximately one metre. The gravel itself is eroded greywacke, carried down rivers from the Hūnua Ranges. The gravel ridges have been significantly modified through farming practices and roadworks. They now are one of the few legally protected portions of the Whakatīwai Gravel Fields and therefore require special management to protect and enhance the remaining area.