This 7.3km beach walk is only doable at low tide and takes you along the rocky coastline from the Lagoon car park to Māori Bay, then back via the South Coast ridge track. You’ll hop over rock shelves, explore tide pools, cross pebble beaches, and finish with farmland walking with views across to Kawau Island. It’s an easy walk but you absolutely need to time it right, 3 hours either side of low tide is your window.
The coastal section goes through Tāwharanui Marine Reserve, so you’ll see plenty of marine life in the tide pools but no fishing or collecting. The return leg takes you through the same open sanctuary that protects takahē, kiwi, and other threatened birds behind a predator-proof fence.
Head north on State Highway 1 toward Warkworth. Turn right at the Matakana Road traffic lights (67km from Auckland). Drive 8.9km through Matakana township – if it’s Saturday morning, the farmers market is worth a stop. The bakery is seriously good.
From Matakana, continue 1.7km and turn right onto Takatu Road (signed to Tāwharanui). This road is now fully sealed (completed December 2023) and runs 13km to the park.
You’ll pass through an automatic pest-proof gate (2.7km fence that keeps out possums, rats, stoats, and cats). Drive to the Lagoon car park – about 200m past the gate, on your right. Free parking. No shops in the park – stock up in Matakana or Warkworth before you arrive.
This walk is LOW TIDE ONLY. You need to cross the lagoon outlet at the start, then navigate rock shelves and boulder fields along the coast. Go 3 hours either side of low tide – any later and you’ll be scrambling over wet rocks or worse, cut off by the incoming tide.
Check tide times at NIWA Tide Forecaster before you leave Auckland.
From the Lagoon car park, cross the footbridge over the lagoon. Walk right along the lagoon edge to the outlet. At low tide, you can walk straight across without getting your feet wet.
Alternative: Inland Route If the tides don’t work for you or you’d rather skip the rock hopping, take the inland North and South Coast Track instead. It doesn’t require tide timing and gives you farmland and clifftop views all the way to Tokatū Point. See that guide for details.
The first 20 minutes is easy going along pebble and sandy beaches with minimal rock hopping. You’ll pass a couple of beautiful small coves backed by native bush. This is Tāwharanui Marine Reserve, so keep an eye out for marine life in the tide pools – octopus, starfish, crabs, sea anemones. Look but don’t touch, and definitely no collecting.
Watch for dotterel and other shorebirds along the beaches. There are nesting areas marked – stay clear of the long grass where dotterel breed.
After about 40 minutes, look for the large rock that resembles an elephant trunk (locals call it Elephant Point). From here, Māori Bay is about 20 minutes away. The rock hopping gets a bit more involved through this section – take your time and wear good footwear with grip.
When you arrive at Māori Bay, you’ll see a small grassy area on your left. This is where you leave the beach and pick up the South Coast Track for the return journey. There’s a nice spot here for lunch with views back along the coast.
From the grassy area at Māori Bay, turn left onto the South Coast Track (white markers). This climbs gently up to the ridge – a pleasant farmland walk with patches of native scrub in the gullies.
Once you’re up on the ridge, you’ll walk along clifftops with views across to Kawau Island on one side and back toward the lagoon on the other. There are farm gates to open and close, and you’ll likely see cattle and sheep. They’re used to walkers but watch where you step.
The track eventually drops back down through farmland, crosses a boardwalk section through regenerating wetland (Mangatawhiri wetland – good for spotting pāteke/brown teal), and brings you back to the Lagoon car park.
The combination of coastal and farmland walking in a predator-free sanctuary makes this different from most beach walks. You’re walking through Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary where takahē, kiwi, bellbirds, saddleback, and North Island robin thrive behind the 2.7km pest-proof fence.
The marine reserve section means the tide pools are packed with life that’s protected from fishing pressure. It’s one of the best places near Auckland for rock pool exploring.
And the low tide requirement adds a bit of adventure – you need to plan around nature’s schedule, not just your own.
In Tāwharanui Regional Park:
Just don’t ignore the tide times. Seriously.
