Stillwater Beach Walk is a very easy 8.5k walk that will take you around 3 hours and 20 mins to complete.
You’ll walk over farm land then on the beach. Highlights on Stillwater Beach Walk include Dacre Cottage, followed by the coast line and a section of coastal bush, scrub.
Quick Facts about this walk
- Location: Stillwater
- Distance: 8.50 kms
- Time needed: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Wheelchair Access: No
- Route: Round Trip
- Elevation: 20m
- Wet Feet: Yes
- Toilets: No
- Dogs: No
- Mobile Coverage: Yes
- Last Updated: November, 2019
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Summary points about this walk
Points of interest along the walk
Point 1: Stillwater Beach Walk- Start
20 minutes from the gate, try and follow the farm track to the beach. The track can be a little muddy after a day of rain. You might have to jump the odd mud hole. Just before the beach there is a track on the right. This goes over the top of the hill to Dacre Cottage, the challenge here is at high tide, you will have to cross the creek. So take your shoes off. This will take you about 1 hour. The hill walk has an abundance of palms trees and Punga’s, very stunning. The coastal walk is a lot quicker, but can only be attempted at low tide. You will have to squeeze your way through the mangroves and on to the beach, then turn to the right and walk up into the eatery.
Point 2: Stillwater Beach Walk
Once on the sand, turn to the right and walk around to the point. At low tide, the beach can change from sand to a light silky mud. The closer you walk to the bank the harder the sand will be; unless you would like to feel the mud ooze through your toes and up to your ankles. In places there will be a few flat rocks for you to walk on.
Point 3: Stillwater Beach Walk
45M minutes. Karepiro Bay and Dacre Cottage. As you approach the sandy beach just before the cottage, look over to the right. To the right of the creek is the track coming down from the hill walk. After admiring the little piece of Stillwater’s history you can follow the post with the red tops to the end of the beach. Then walk up the hill covered in pine trees, or take the short cut along the beach.
Point 4: Stillwater Beach Walk
The hill walk is the better choice, you can walk back along the beach latter. Over the crest, the scenery changes from pine forest to very green and dense coastal bush. The clay track can be a little slippery when wet, so take it easy.
Point 5: Stillwater Beach Walk
Back down on the flat. You are in the Okura River catchment. As you walk along the track, you will see a lot of side tracks running off to the left, these tacks run down the beach and out in to the Okura river. When the tide is fully out, it is not impossible to walk across to the other side of the estuary to Okura. We walked on for another 20 minutes till we reached a small sandbar running out into the estuary, this is were we stopped for a coffee. The walking time was around 1 hour 40 minutes to this spot.
Point 6: Stillwater Beach Walk
Heading home was easy. The tide was fully out so we legged it back along the beach, to the cottages. If you look across the creek, you will just make out the sign for the up hill walk back to the car. Give it a go.
Point 7: Stillwater Beach Walk
As you can see the 100 wooden steps, they make the climb to the top of the ridge very easy. The green nikau palms and tree ferns on this little walk was the highlight for me. I caught a quick glimpse of a couple of pigeons crusing the tree tops looking for dinner. Plus I had a fantails following in my wake he was also looking for the odd insect for his dinner. The walk down hill to the main track is easy. Turn to the left and in a few minutes you will be back at the car park.
