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Park activities

Bird watching
Camping - vehicle based
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Camping - vehicle based

The Ocean beach campground at Tawharanui provides the opportunity to spend a night in a mainland pest free park and the chance to encounter Kiwi and other wildlife during your visit. One of the most popular camping grounds in the park network, early booking is recommended if you are planning to stay over the summer months.

10 out of 10

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Diving
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Diving

Tawharanui is a protected marine park so look but don't touch.

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Farm Animals - Viewing
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Farm Animals - Viewing

Tawharanui is an open sanctuary with a working farm of sheep and cows.

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Mountain biking
Picnics
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Picnics

There are no desginated picnic areas but find your own favourite spot. Feel free to bring your own gas barbecue. Groups of 50 or more require a permit.

8 out of 10

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Pram walks
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Pram walks

Suitable for pram access, especially if remaining at beach level at Anchor Bay and Jones Bay picnic areas. There are some steep tracks, farm paddocks and dirt farm tracks which would be challenging but still possible.

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Sightseeing
Surfing
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Surfing

If there's a swell on the east coast then you can get waves here. There are a couple of different beaches to surf at. Quite north facing so offshore in anything from SW-SE.

8 out of 10

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Swimming
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Swimming

The bays at Tawharanui are great for swimming, Anchor Bay is the most popular.

8 out of 10

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

Explore the peninsula that is Tawharanui with one of the longer walks, see details below.

8 out of 10

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

Take a short walk to Maori Bay from Anchor Bay.

8 out of 10

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Wedding / civil union
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Wedding / civil union

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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No dogs
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No dogs

Dogs are prohibited at this park

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Tracks

Ecology Trail
1 hour / 3 km
Fishermans Track
 ½ hour / 2 km
Maori Bay Coast Walk
1 ½ hours / 4 km
North/South Coast Loop
1 ½ hours / 5 km
North/South Coast Track
3 hours / 8 km
West End Track
1 ½ hours / 6 km
West End Trail
 ¾ hour / 5 km
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Tawharanui

Set on a remote peninsula, Tawharanui Regional Park boasts some of the Auckland region's most beautiful white sand beaches, rolling pastures, shingled bays native coastal forest and regenerating wetlands.

The 588-hectare park is New Zealand's first integrated open sanctuary (mainland island) where farming, public recreation and conservation of native species combine. The name Tawharanui refers to "the abundant bracts of the kiekie vine". The iconic Anchor Bay is named after the anchor of the Phoenix, a vessel wrecked on the Tawharanui coastline in 1879.

Tawharanui Regional Park is also an Open Sanctuary, where native plants and animals including kiwi can live and breed successfully without the threat of predators.  You can find more about Tawharanui Open Sanctuary and the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society (TOSSI) here.

Park facilities

Bach - view details
Camping - view details
Beaches
There are many beaches at Tawharanui - the main one being Anchor Bay.
Campervan access
Campervans can park at Lagoon car park for up to 2 nights.
Interpretation
Long drop / vault toilet
Mobility access
Native bush
Notice board
Parking
Picnic tables
There are no desginated picnic areas but find your own favourite spot. Feel free to bring your own gas BBQ. Groups of 50 or more require a permit.
Potable water
Ranger contact phone
Ranger office
Security gates
Toilet block
Unsealed access road

History

Maori lived in this area for more than 800 years. Until the 1870s the park was occupied by a small hapu (sub tribe) of the Te Kawerau people called Ngati Raupo. Tawharanui provided a rich variety of marine and forest resources, symbolised by the saying: "He wha tawhara ki uta; he kiko tamure ki tai." - "The flowering bracts of the kiekie on the land; the flesh of the snapper in the sea." Waikokowai (Anchor Bay) provided a valued source of kokowai or red ochre, which was used for ceremonial and decorative purposes. The people lived mainly around the catchment of the Mangatawhiri Stream. Near the park entrance was a significant pa known as "Oponui" and above the stream outlet is "Pa-hi" or "lofty fortified settlement." After 1870 Tawharanui was developed as a farm by the Martin, Jones and Young families. Kauri timber was milled and shingle was extracted from the park, creating the so-called Jones Bay Lagoon. The ARC purchased the park from the Georgetti family in 1973.

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

Maori History at Tawharanui Regional Park (204.9 KB PDF)

Wildlife

Sixteen species of native land birds and 15 species of native coastal birds are recorded for the park and its environs. Notable amongst there are the bittern, spotless crake, and fernbird from the wetlands, and the NZ dotterel, blue reef heron and variable oystercatcher on the shore.

There are also several skink species known to be present, these are copper, ornate and shore skinks.

Pateke, North Island brown kiwi, North Island robin, whiteheads, Auckland green gecko and forest gecko have all been reintroduced since the establishment of the predator proof fence.

Native bush

Tawharanui Regional Park is predominatly grazed pasture with manuka scattered throughout. Extensively milled for kauri, then cleared for manuka firewood during the late 19th century, patches of coastal forest occur only in isolated gullies of the park.

The most significant area of coastal forest occurs on the central eastern portion of the park. Kauri and rimu dominate the ridges, whereas puriri, taraire, and tawa, with less frequent rewarewa and nikau occur in the valleys.

Regenerating coastal forest occurs on the cliff edges of Jones to Three Post Bay, in the gully adjacent to Slip Paddock and near the western boundary of the park. Here, totara, kahikatea, pohutukawa and cabbage trees occur along with puriri and taraire. The pohutukawa forest is one of the best examples on coastal cliffs in the Rodney Ecological District. Pohutukawa, taraire, puriri, cabbage tree and karaka are the structure trees of the park's southern cliff edge. In the north-east, pohutukawa, manuka and flax are common.

Picture of Tawharanui
Snorkel or dive the Tawharanui Marine Park, which has been protected since 1981.
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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 Tawharanui

Take State Highway 1 north to Warkworth. Follow the signs to Matakana. Just past Matakana turn right at the Omaha turn off, drive along Takatu Rd and the park is well sign posted. (Note: the last 6km of the route is a winding gravel road).

Distance from Auckland CBD: 90 km

  
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Limited mobility access

There is no formed path for access to the beach.  Sand ladders provide access points to Anchor Bay and the camp ground beaches.  For special access provisions contact us on 09 366 2000. 

Limited mobility parking
There is one designated car park at Anchor Bay.

Limited mobility toilets
There are wheelchair accessible toilets at Anchor Bay and Jones Bay.

Art in the Woolshed 2010
6-14 March, 10am to 5pm

Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society (TOSSI) is holding its fifth summer art exhibition of paintings, sculpture, glass and ceramics at Tawharanui Regional Park in March 2010. The event is free. Find out more about Art in the Woolshed.


Tawharanui Marine Reserve Application

The ARC has applied to the Department of Conservation to establish a marine reserve at Tawharanui. You can find out more about the proposed marine reserve here.