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Park activities

Bird watching
Boating
Camping - backpack
Camping - vehicle based
Diving
Dog walking with restrictions
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Dog walking with restrictions

Mahurangi West Sullivans Bay and Te Muri parkland and beaches: Dogs are prohibited at all times.

Cudlip Point Loop Track: Dogs are allowed all day except during July, August and September inclusive (during lambing season). Dogs must be on leads at all times.

Mita Bay: Dogs are allowed at all times on the beach only and the coastal/beach around to Opahi Bay. Dogs can only access Mita Bay by boat, or by foot from Opahi Bay (which is outside the park). Dogs must be under direct and continuous control at all times. Dogs are prohibited from the campground and parkland.

Scott Point land and beaches: Dogs are allowed except between 9am and 7pm from the first Sunday in October to the 3rd Sunday in March. Dogs must be under direct and continuous control at all times.

Mahurangi East land and beaches: Dogs are allowed all year round. Dogs must be under direct and continuous control at all times.

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Farm Animals - Viewing
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Farm Animals - Viewing

Mahurangi has 300 breeding ewes and 30 grazing cattle.

6 out of 10

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Fishing
Kayaking
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Kayaking

Kayaking around the Mahurangi Regional Park and surrounding regional parks is highly recommended. Make sure you wear bright clothing and a lifejacket. Stay away from the main channels as this is a popular boating area.

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Picnics
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Picnics

There are no designated picnic sites but feel free to find your own spot. You are welcome to bring your own gas barbecue.

8 out of 10

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Pram walks
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Pram walks

Sullivans Bay has reasonable pram access across the grass picnic areas. Scotts Point board walk is great for prams, there are two short sections where you may need to carry the pram over the sand. Cudlip Point Loop Track and Mita Bay Loop Track are pram accessible but may be challenging in places and are dependant on conditions.

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Sightseeing
Swimming
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Swimming

Mahurangi has several excellent beaches. Sullivan's Bay has vehicle access but Te Muri and Mita are accessible only by boat or foot.

8 out of 10

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

Take a longer walk and explore the beaches of Mahurangi, see details below.

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

Mahurangi has many pleasant options for shorts walks please view the track details for more information.

8 out of 10

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Wedding / civil union
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Wedding / civil union

The garden around Scott Homestead is available for weddings. 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 09 366 2000 to discuss your requirements.

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Tracks

Cudlip Point Loop Track
2 hours / 3 km
Mita Bay Loop Track
2 hours / 2 km
Te Muri Loop
3 hours / 3 km
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Mahurangi

The sheltered bays, native bush, open pasture and historic sites of Mahurangi Regional Park straddle the entrance to the beautiful Mahurangi Harbour, which gives the park its name.

The park is divided into three "fingers" - Mahurangi West, Scott point and Mahurangi East. Mahurangi West provides a backdrop to three pohutukawa-fringed bays - Sullivan's (Otarawao) Bay, Mita (Otuawao) Bay and Te Muri Bay.

Scott Point includes the historic Scott Homestead, while the remote Mahurangi East is only accessible by sea.

The park is a favourite stop for boaties all year round. It takes on a festive air at Auckland Anniversary Weekend in January, when hundreds of classic vessels revel in the Mahurangi Old Time Regatta.

Park facilities

Bach - view details
Camping - view details
Building - view details
Beaches
Mahurangi Regional Park has many beaches.
Boat ramp
There are boat ramps at Scott Point and Opahi Bay.
Campervan access
Cellphone coverage
Historic homesteads
Interpretation
Long drop / vault toilet
Native bush
Notice board
Parking
Picnic tables
There are no designated picnic sites but feel free to find your own spot. You are welcome to bring your own gas BBQ.
Potable water
Ranger contact phone
Sealed access road
Security gates
Toilet block

History

Maori lived here in large communities. The park was the ancestral domain of Ngati Rongo and there are four fortified pa sites at Opahi, Cudlip and Te Muri Points and above Sullivan's Bay. A sea captain, John Sullivan, married Merehai Kaipuke and settled at Otarawao (Sullivan's Bay) in the 1870s. Their descendents farmed the land for nearly a century and farming continues on the park today. More than 100 Maori and European settlers are buried in the Te Muri urupa (cemetery) on the park. The urupa was established in the 1860s alongside two sacred (tapu) pohutukawa trees. Scott Homestead, at Scott Point, is a reminder of the Mahurangi Harbour's busy past as a hub of timber milling, ship building, firewood cutting and trade. Thomas Scott Jr built the Georgian style house in 1877 on the site where his father, a shipbuilder, ran an inn until it was destroyed by fire. Volunteers have lovingly restored the house and its surrounds. While the homestead is not open to the public, the front garden will give you a real sense of history. The homestead is available as a venue for special occasions.

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

Archaeology and history of human occupation of Mahurangi Regional Park (998.9 KB PDF)

Wildlife

Listen out for the song of the tui, the grey warbler, and in spring and early summer, the shining cuckoo. For a sazzling summer display look out for gannets hurling themselves headlong into the sea at up to 140kmh in search of food for their young.

Native bush

Areas of coastal forest and regenerating bush are dotted throughout Mahurangi Regional Park. The best preserved patches of mature coastal forest are on Cudlip and Te Muri points which are dominated by kanuka, taraire, puriri, karaka and kowhai. Scarlet flowering pohutukawa are spectacular at Scott Point and Mahurangi East in summer and on many parts of Mahurangi West.

Picture of Mahurangi
A coastal paradise for kayakers and walkers.
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Park opening hours:

Summer:
6:00am - 9:00pm
Winter:
6:00am - 7:00pm

Weekend opening hours:

Summer:
6:00am - 9:00pm
Winter:
6:00am - 7:00pm

Public holiday opening hours:

Summer:
6:00am - 9:00pm
Winter:
6:00am - 7:00pm

How to get to Mahurangi

Mahurangi West Drive north on State Highway 1. About 6km past Wenderholm Regional Park, turn right into Mahurangi West Rd then right into Ngarewa Drive and follow to the end of the road. Scott point Take State Highway 1 to Warkworth and follow the signs to Snells Beach. Approximately 1km past Snells Beach turn right into Ridge Rd and follow to the end of the road. Mahurangi East Has no road access. Access is by boat only.

Distance from Auckland CBD: 65 km

  
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