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Park activities

Bird watching
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Bird watching

Common native birds at the park include Kereru, tui, fantail, silvereye and grey warbler. Other bird species sighted in the parks include shining cuckoo, harriers, morepork and the occasional red crowned parakeet. The wetland supports banded rail and spotless crake. Along the coastal margin you may find, white faced heron, paradise shelduck, grey duck, South Island pied oyster catchers, pied stilt, spur winger plover, eastern bar tailed godwit and Caspian tern. The Variable oyster catcher and New Zealand Dotterel also nest in the area and drive an intensive trapping programme. You may also spot blue reef heron, kingfishers, black, pied and little shags and white fronted terns.

8 out of 10

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Boating
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Boating

Small boat access at high tide, anchorage available at nearby Rocky Bay.

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Camping - vehicle based
Dog walking with restrictions
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Dog walking with restrictions

No dogs allowed to the west of Gordons Road including Poukaraka Flats. Dogs are prohibited on the beach side of Gordons Road to protect the rare and vulnerable ground dwelling birds in the area. Dogs must be kept under control in all other areas of the park.

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Horse riding
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Horse riding

Horse riding is available on bridle tracks. No permit is required, however access is restricted during the Dotteral breeding season from October to February each year. Contact the park ranger for more information on 09 372 5647.

7 out of 10

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Kayaking
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Kayaking

Waiheke Island's many inlets and little bays make it a kayaker's paradise.

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Picnics
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Picnics

Picnic sites are available on a casual basis.

7 out of 10

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Sightseeing
Swimming
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Swimming

Enjoy the safe, shallow swimming at Whakanewha Bay.

8 out of 10

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Volunteering
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Volunteering

Please contact 09 536 7012 if you are interested in volunteering in our southern parks.

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Walks (1 hour or more)
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Walks (1 hour or more)

Take a longer walk up to cascading waterfalls on the Nikau Track. For more options to explore check the list of tracks below.

6 out of 10

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Walks (less than 1 hour)
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Walks (less than 1 hour)

Take the Pa Loop Track up to the headland for great views of downtown Auckland. For more options to explore check the list of tracks below.

8 out of 10

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Wedding / civil union
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Wedding / civil union

Ceremonies are often held on the park especially by the large pohutukawa tree by the shore. A permit is required, contact the Senior Ranger Recreation on 09 366 2044.

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Wildlife
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Wildlife

Expect to see Fantail, Bittern, Banded Rail, New Zealand Dotterel, Oystercatchers, White faced Heron, Pied Stilts, Caspian Terns, Godwits, Spotless Crake.

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Tracks

Nikau Track
2 ½ hours / 4 km
Pa Loop Track
 ½ hour / 0.5 km
Park Walk
2 ½ hours / 5 km
Rua Loop Track
 ½ hour / 0 km
Print view

Whakanewha

On the south side of the Waiheke Island, Whakanewha Regional Park is known for its mature coastal forest with taraire, kohekohe and old kanuka trees, cascading streams, and sweeping crescent-shaped beach cut in two by a forested headland.

A large wetland is home to some uncommon birds, bittern, banded rail, spotless crake and the New Zealand dotterel. 

At high tide the water is shallow, warm and ideal for children. Picnic spots on the foreshore are plentiful. At low tide a broad expanse of sandy tidal flats is revealed. The beach is divided into two sections by the pa promontory.

Whakanewha means "to shade the eyes from the setting sun." The site became a regional park in 1994 and was officially opened in 2007.

Park facilities

Camping - view details
Bookable Site - view details
BBQ
Beaches
Whakanewha Bay (Rocky Bay).
Campervan access
Self contained campervans able to stay up to 2 nights in car park.
Interpretation
Long drop / vault toilet
Native bush
Notice board
Parking
Parking includes northeastern beach overflow area
Picnic tables
Picnic sites are available on a casual basis.
Potable water
Ranger office
Toilet block
Unsealed access road

History 

Whakanewha is steeped in Maori and European history. The flat land was cultivated by Maori for centuries, once supplying the growing needs of early Auckland. Above the beach's rocky promontory is the remains of an extensive pa. Near the Poukaraka wetland you can see the remains of the hearth from a 19th century settler's cottage. 

Read the PDF below to find out more about the history of Whakanewha:

History of human occupation and archaeology of Whakenewha Regional Park (588.5 KB PDF)

Wildlife

The dotterel (tuturiwhatu) is a ground dwelling bird that is very vulnerable to predators, including cats and dogs. With the help of volunteers, the Whakanewha dotterel breeding programme has become one of the most successful in the country. Variable oystercatchers (torea-pango), white-faced heron (matukumoana), pied stilts (poaka), Caspian terns (Taranui), paradise ducks (putangitangi) and godwits (kuaka) are also sometimes spotted on the tidal flats while to the south of the beach a large wetland is home to bittern (matuku), banded rail (mohopereru) and spotless crake (puweto).

Native bush

Waiheke Island carefully guards is status as a possum free island. The absence of these pests means forests and wildlife in and around them to thrive. There are five main vegetation types on the park, including coastal forest in the valleys and hill slopes, pasture, manuka and kanuka scrub, dune vegetation of both saline and wetland species, and wetland vegetation. Taraire, puriri, karaka, kohekohe, pohutukawa and tawa dominate the coastal broadleaf forest and emerging nikau and tree ferns occur in the gullies. A few kahikatea, tanekaha, rimu kauri, miro and matai are present. Kowhai occur in the Cascades area and there are kowhai groves on the pa site and Upland Road track.

Picture of Whakanewha
Whakanewha is on Waiheke Island.  Enjoy the sandy beach with a good book or walk to one of the grassy viewpoints at the top of the park.
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(400 kb)
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Park opening hours:

Summer:
Open 24 hours
Winter:
Open 24 hours

Weekend opening hours:

Summer:
Open 24 hours
Winter:
Open 24 hours

Public holiday opening hours:

Summer:
Open 24 hours
Winter:
Open 24 hours

How to get to Whakanewha

Take the Fullers ferry from Central Auckland or take your car with the Sealink car ferry from Half Moon Bay to Waiheke Island. If you have caught the Fullers ferry then from the ferry terminal at Matiatia catch a shuttle bus to the park or catch the Rocky Bay bus and get off at the Rocky Bay terminal. From the Rocky Bay bus stop, walk up Omiha Rd to Upland Rd track and into the park.

Distance from Auckland CBD: 40 km

  
Get directions with Google Maps
Public transport information:
Catch the ferry to Waiheke then a shuttle or bus to Whakanewha
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