Metropolitan Auckland is beginning to discover that it has a diverse and increasingly sophisticated playground just to the north of it.
The region has vineyards and exclusive lodges, any number of trendy cafes, and a superb coastline from the Whangaparaoa Peninsula to Bream Head that is chock-full of fine beaches, sheltered waterways and a stunning marine reserve.
It also has kilometres of walking options with two of the best of them near Mangawhai which just happens to be where the Twin Coast Discovery route leads to when it loops off State Highway One north of Wellsford.
Mangawhai, with its dual attractions of an open surf beach and a sand-dune-sheltered inner beach, was one of the first of the coastal subdivisions when New Zealand was still sufficiently egalitarian for Jack to have a self-built fibro bach down the road from his master's holiday home.
Fifty years later the resort, 90 minutes from Auckland, is more than a tad different but the essence of its humble beginnings remains, which is no doubt why the Mangawhai Promotions Group and its walking weekend are so successful.
The two major walks in the district, the Mangawhai cliff-top walk and the Brynderwyn walkway, are both in the national walkways network.
The Brynderwyn Hills, which frequent travellers north regard as a psychological boundary denoting an escape from the clutches of metropolitan Auckland, stretch from SH1 to just north of Mangawhai Heads.
The walkway begins at the spot where motorists breast the Brynderwyns and where once there was a drum full of water to quench the thirst of over-heating engines. The trail is around 20km to the Waipu Cove Rd with two possible exits, at Massey Rd and Cullen Rd, along the way.
Much of the western Brynderwyns have been planted in pines and the walkway makes use of logging roads which, while a ready-made track, also restricts walking to Sundays when there are no logging trucks around. The restriction is likely to last for another two years.
Mangawhai Walking Weekend trekkers will tramp about 10km of the eastern end of the trail, exiting at Cullen Rd. The route includes some regenerating native forest, a steep climb over farmland and the spectacular views that the walkway is most noted for.
To the east are the Hauraki Gulf islands, such as the Poor Knights, Hen and Chickens and Little Barrier, to the north are the Whangarei Heads and Marsden Point oil refinery, to the south are the white sand beaches of Te Arai and Pakiri, and to the west is the Kaipara Harbour.
The Mangawhai clifftop walk is a locals' favourite. The 5km trail begins north of the Mangawhai Harbour and climbs from the ocean beach on to pohutukawa-clad cliffs with coastal views from Whangarei to Pakiri. Time for a swim and a picnic lunch are included in the organised walk on April 13.
Not all the walks planned for the weekend of April 13 and 14 require anything so strenuous as climbing to a cliff top or trig station on the Brynderwyns.
It is a delightful feature of the Mangawhai weekend that the walks programme includes one where dogs are welcome and another where you get to have a glass of wine and some chocolates along the way.
There is also a photography walk, a garden tour and a tideline scramble on Te Arai Beach.
And if you still feel the need for a more energetic workout, there is always a rock'n'roll night at the Library Hall on Saturday night.
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Further information: See mangawhaiwalking.co.nz.
