Waitakere Ranges

Seriously one of the most amazing places on earth! I was brought here by Bush and Beach Tours from Auckland. I highly recommend to anyone to come here and if you take the tour then you might learn a thing or two about it’s incredible history.
Come to Waitakere in New Zealand!

One of the first hikes I did was in the Waitakere Ranges during my 5 month residence of Auckland. It was absolutely beautiful, and a great first taste of the amazing scenery and natural life in that breathtaking country. Highly recommended! It’s a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life in Auckland as well.

If there is one perk to living in West Auckland (and lets face it there’s not many!) it’s that you are in a position to explore the Waitakere ranges. This is what people who have never been to New Zealand think it is all about — fresh air, nature, beautiful scenery. If you are into hiking, this is the place to come — there are lots of long trails taking you right through the mountains. I am always vowing to get into hiking every year but somehow I always get lazy and it never seems to happen. There are also some beautiful beaches out here such Piha and Bethells Beach. Piha was quite a revelation to me as I had never seen a beach with sand so dark. I am frightened off swimming in it by the that reality show on TV though. Another bonus of the Waitakere is the charming neighbourhood of Titirangi which is a good place to start if you want to explore the mountains.

It’s almost … it just doesn’t fit our idea of what a big city should be. There shouldn’t be greenery, there shouldn’t be bush, there certainly shouldn’t be amazing beaches, amazing, imposing, wild beaches, so close to the city. Half an hour’s drive and you’re in the middle of wilderness, proper wilderness. But you’re not isolated, because you’re only half an hour from your house. How many other cities the size of Auckland have that? There’s a reason that every international band that plays here gets shuttled off to Piha for the afternoon. There’s a reason that West Coast beaches regularly drown people, and we still flock out there every summer. There’s a reason that in his old age Sir Edmund Hillary worked to add walking trails to the area. It’s because the Waitakere Ranges is something quite special. Go and have a look for yourself.

The Waitakere ranges was one of the biggest draw cards for my husband and I to settling out West when we moved here last year from Australia. The West of Auckland has a hit and miss reputation, but that is ok, so does Tasmania in Aus where we were living for the last five years.
We have managed to go camping out in Whatipu, Waitakere Ranges, once so far, visited most of the beaches, and done a couple of tramps around the bush a bit closer to the city side. No major, hard-​core tramps/​camps for days on end, but more leisurely ‘park the car day trips’ kind of thing. I would highly recommend going with the kids if you are interested too, there is a variety of walks set out that would suit many levels of fitness. It is also well maintained with conservation awareness well set up, so taking the kids would be educational as well as the many other blessings you get when you go.

This past Easter weekend, my family and I spent two of the four days travelling across the Waitakere ranges.
First visit was to the amazing Bethells Beach to get through the ranges, we had to start our journey at scenic drive, merging with Te Henga road, and then Bethells road which travels up the northern ridge of the ranges.
We travelled through the beautiful cascade Kauri zone (where if you’re keen for stretching the legs walk the 8 km track to see the biggest Kauri trees in Auckland) and finally arrived at the west coast– Bethells Beach.
The drive is purely scenic as its name describes, and nature at its finest.
The other journey I took was to Huia and Whatipu Beach, We started at Titirangi, and following signs headed towards the southern part of the ranges, first you past turn off’s for Cornwallis, Huia and once in Little Huia, follow the Whatipu road which climbs up into the forest before plunging down towards Whatipu and the beach– this road is gravel and very twisty so be prepared for the drive.
I really enjoyed my adventures through the ranges and loved the scenery and beaches I found.