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Park activities

Bird watching

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Boating

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Camping - vehicle based

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Dog walking with restrictions

Dogs are allowed at the the park entrance, walking track to the Waiwera Estuary and Kokuru Bay. Dogs are prohibited at all times from the main carpark, bush headlands, picnic areas and adjoining beaches.

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Farm Animals - Viewing

Sheep and young cattle are grazed on the park with lambing attracting visitors during the spring.

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Fishing

Landbased fishing enthusiasts can try for kahawai and snapper at the mouth of the Puhoi River.

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Kayaking

Wenderholm is a great place to launch your kayak from.

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Picnics

The park has picnic sites, and can accommodate large group bookings.

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Pram walks

Pram friendly park with access throughout the picnic area, the beach and Couldrey House Lookout Track. However access is not suitable south of the beach due to rocks.

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Sightseeing

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Swimming

The beach is relatively safe for swimming. Watch for tidal currents at the mouth of the Puhoi River.

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Walks (1 hour or more)

For a longer walk talk the Perimeter Track right around the park, or the Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi.

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Walks (less than 1 hour)

Take a short but steep walk up to the Couldrey House lookout or towards the Puhoi river.

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Wedding / civil union

Couldrey House and gardens is a prime spot for your wedding ceremony. 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

Couldrey House Lookout Walk
¼ hour / 0 km

Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi
1 ½ hours / 2 km

Perimeter Track
2 ½ hours / 4 km

Te Akeake Walk
½ hour / 1 km

Print view

Wenderholm

Cradled by the Puhoi and Waiwera Rivers, Wenderholm was the first Auckland Regional park and remains one of the most beautiful.

Its forested headland, rich in native birdlife is one of Auckland's finest examples. The historic Couldrey House sits in beautiful serene grounds, and a carved pouwhenua nearby welcomes visitors to Wenderholm.

There are ample sheltered grounds for picnics and games and the fine swimming beach draws the summer crowds. The park opened in 1965 and took its name from the historic homestead on site, which was formerly known as Wenderholm (winter home).

Park facilities

Bach - view details

Camping - view details

Bookable Site - view details

BBQ
A few electric and solid fuel BBQs are provided, but you need to supply your own wood or charcoal.

Beaches
Wenderholm is a family friendly beach with a grassy picnic area and the shade of Pohutukawa trees.

Boat ramp
Small to medium boats can launch either side of high tide.

Campervan access

Historic homesteads

Interpretation

Limited mobility access

Native bush

Notice board

Parking
Additional parking in Schiscka Block

Picnic tables
The park has picnic sites, and can accommodate large group bookings.

Potable water

Ranger contact phone

Ranger office

Sealed access road

Security gates

Toilet block

Wharf / jetty

History

Maori lived here for close to 1000 years because of its plentiful natural resources. Wenderholm was the focal point of Maori settlement in the Mahurangi District and the site of an historic peace making agreement (mihirau) between the Kawerau and Hauraki tribes in the 1780s. Prominent Auckland politician and entrepreneur Robert Graham became the first European owner in 1868. Graham built a homestead (Wenderholm) on the flat, to use while he spent time at his Waiwera thermal resort in winter. The house is now known as Couldrey House after its last private owner. It has been restored and is run by volunteers as a museum, open to the public on weekends. Historic trees are also a feature at Wenderholm with Caucasian fir, bunya bunya pine, Moreton Bay fig, Holm oak, cork oak, magnolia, coral trees and others planted as long as the 1860s. Many of these were gifts to Robert Graham from Sir George Grey.

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

Archaeology and background history of Wenderholm Regional Park (848.8 KB PDF)

Wildlife

The coastal forest on the Maungatauhoro ("mountain with the eroding cliffs") headland is a haven for native birds thanks to intensive pest control and a large-scale restoration of parts of the forest. Native pigeon (kereru) and tui abound at Wenderholm, feeding on the fruit of the forest. See the small, friendly North Island Robin (toutouwai), which has been reintroduced and is breeding successfully at the park. The rare fernbird and banded rail, which make their home in the Salt marsh on the Puhoi Estuary, are shy by comparison. Kookaburra, some say descended from the birds released by NZ Governor George Grey on Kawau Island in the 1870s, are still seen and heard in the trees around Wenderholm.

Native bush

Kowhai on the north facing slopes drip with yellow blooms in spring. Pohutukawa blaze red in summer lighting up the ridgeline and the low-laying sandspit which features a grove said to be one of the oldest planted.