When we first thought of writing this article, it was full of suggestions for walks in the jewel of Auckland that is the Waitakere Ranges. However, at the beginning of summer a rahui was placed on the ranges, in a bid to reduce the devastating effect kauri dieback disease is having on kauri in the area. As a result we must stay out of the ranges until the rahui is lifted to allow the bush to recuperate and regenerate. However, the rahui doesn't include the coast or access to it, so you are still okay to head to the beaches.
WALK OVERNIGHT
The Pinnacles Walk in the Kauaeranga Valley, upriver from Thames, is one of the best overnight walks in New Zealand. It can be done in a day, over 6-8 hours return, but you'd miss sunset or sunrise from the craggy rock formations that are your end goal. Stay in the DoC hut at the base of the Pinnacles, and do the final 40-minute burst to the peak the next morning, climbing ladders and iron rungs, for spectacular views of the Coromandel Peninsula. The walk to the hut is around three hours and is steep in parts but is lovely, and follows a historic packhorse route.
• The Kauaeranga Valley road, tracks, campgrounds, and Pinnacles Hut will close from February 14 to March 30 (Easter Friday) for road and river rehabilitation.
Kariotahi in Franklin District is a long wild beach north of Port Waikato. It has the black sand and crashing waves of other west coast beaches, but also a place to get a beer. Go for a wild walk as far as you like along the beach, then head back to Agave, part of the Castaways Resort, on the clifftop for a meal.
For a fun and interesting inner-city walk with plenty of kai options, start at Britomart and walk along the waterfront to the viaduct, and cross the Wynyard Crossing bridge to Wynyard Quarter and Silo Park. From here hook into Beaumont St until you get to Westhaven Drive, follow that till you can go up and over the motorway on the Jacob's Ladder overpass, then turn right and walk alongside the motorway until you can walk up to Pt Erin Reserve - go up and over and down Curran St to walk under the Auckland Harbour Bridge then back along Westhaven Drive past all the yachts back to Wynyard Wharf. You've definitely deserved your meal from one of the many restaurants on Wynyard Wharf and its surrounds, or the food trucks at Silo Park.
WALK WITH A SWIM
The beach from Devonport to Takapuna makes a fantastic walk. Start at Narrow Neck and walk to Takapuna Beach - have a picnic or lunch at one of the many eateries that have popped up on the road above the beach in recent years - then go back again the way you came. Be careful to time your walk properly - start a few hours before low tide so you make it back before the sea strands you on a rock under the cliffs. Swim at any point along the way - even at low tide these beaches are good for a splash.
Further up the coast, the Long Bay Coastal Track goes through to the Northern end of the regional park. It's a roughly three-hour walk from which you can access both Granny's Bay and Pohutukawa Bay for swims on the way.
Another perfect walk/swim combo is Lake Wainamu at Te Henga Bethells - it's about a one-hour walk from the carpark to the lake via imposing sand dunes. It's a beautiful place for a freshwater swim - the steep dunes go straight into the water, and it gets deep very quickly.
It's easy to find an excellent view in a city with as much volcanic action as Auckland - you only need walk for10-20 minutes up Mangere Mountain or Maungawhau/Mt Eden (or any of our volcanoes) for beautiful vistas.
A good longer walk with varied views is from Torbay to Castor Bay on the North Shore. Follow the instructions on the Te Araroa website - search for the North Shore Coastal Walk.
You can start at Long Bay and walk all the way to Devonport if you're game, but this shortened version of the walk only takes a couple of hours and takes you to bays possibly otherwise unvisited, like Rothesay and Waiake Bay. A lot of the walk is coastal, but there's the occasional diversion into suburban streets.
Another beauty is the Te Henga Walkway, from Te Henga Bethells Beach to south of Muriwai - a roughly 3.5-hour walk revealing some of the best views of Auckland's west coast in all its glory. It's not included in the rāhui because it doesn't have kauri on it. The walkway is part of the 76km Hillary Trail - a multi-day walk that covers more of the Waitakeres and the west coast. Take a picnic to enjoy en route and remember: this is not a loop track, so hopefully you've organised a pickup, otherwise when you get to Constable Rd at the Muriwai end, turn around and head back the way you came.
Caves at Whatipu.
WALK WITH UNDER-10s
Kids will love the Whatipu Caves Track - it's not a long walk from the carpark and the caves are brilliant for exploring. There are many of them along the cliff face along the track and all worth a look. Adventurous little explorers can squeeze into cracks to try their hand at caving. Don't forget a torch and wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty. The track ends up at a campsite accessible only by foot - not a bad spot to spend the night if you're prepared.
A walk round the Orakei Basin has enough variation that even kids who don't like walking won't notice too much that they're doing so.
Catch the train to the Orakei station and start your walk off Orakei Road - it's a lovely walk around the water then it's via a road to a boardwalk across the Purewa arm of the basin, then through a little bush until you reach the walkway that goes along the rail track back to the start. Leave an hour for the walk with stops along the way.
Oakley Esplanade.
WALK WITH A WHEELCHAIR/PUSHCHAIR
Mangere Bridge Esplanade is a pleasant, flat path to follow for those on or accompanied by wheels - start at the old Mangere Bridge (now pedestrians only) then walk around the harbour's edge along Kiwi Esplanade - if you keep going you'll end up at Ambury Farm, but even if you turn back before this, there's reserves and parks and places of interest aplenty.
Murphy's Bush in Flatbush is a small area of lovely native bush with easy wheelchair-friendly tracks throughout. It's well signposted and there are spots for picnicking along the way. Walk for as long or as short as you like.
Most of Auckland's new cycleways are also appropriate for wheelchairs and pushchairs (as long as all users respect it as a shared path) - take the new path from Waterview (crossing Oakley Creek at the Alford St Bridge) and follow the cycle path through Unitec's grounds. If you are really up for a walk, you can follow the cycle path along the back of Mt Albert and Mt Roskill and so on, all the way to Onehunga.
Another good option for walkers with wheels is to catch the ferry to Devonport and take the path along the beautiful waterfront and up on to North Head Maungaika - though a lot of the tunnels and paths are not easily accessible for wheels, the road winds up to the top of the mountain and provides excellent views back towards the city.
