The Park Point Headland Loop is a spectacular short walk around Waiheke’s western-most peninsula. This clifftop track takes you around Park Point with sweeping views across the inner Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto, Auckland City skyline, and Motuihe Island. You’ll weave up and down around beautiful bays with hundreds of steps, but the views are worth every one.
This is the shortest of the Park Point walks – perfect if you want stunning coastal scenery without a huge time commitment. The track takes you so far into the Sergeant Channel that you feel like you could reach out and touch Motuihe Island.
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Where | Park Point peninsula, western Waiheke |
| Start/Finish | Corner of Church Bay Road and Cable Bay Lane |
| Distance | 4.4 km loop |
| Time | 1.5 hours |
| Difficulty | Moderate (hundreds of steps!) |
| Elevation | Lots of ups and downs |
| Dogs | NOT allowed (protecting shoreline) |
| Prams/Wheelchairs | No – steps, narrow paths, uneven terrain |
| Parking | At start point on Church Bay Road/Cable Bay Lane |
| Best for | Views, fitness workout, photographers, sunset lovers |
Dramatic Clifftop Views: You’ll get sweeping views across the inner Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island and Auckland City skyline. The peninsula extends so far out you feel surrounded by water.
Motuihe Island Up Close: Park Point juts out so far into the Sergeant Channel that Motuihe Island looks close enough to touch. Great views of this historic island.
Beautiful Bays: Matarahui Bay and Te Wharau Bay are stunning spots for a swim or picnic. Both have great grass reserves.
Proper Workout: Hundreds of steps up and down make this a great fitness walk without being too long. Your legs will feel it!
Native Bush: Walk through mature kowhai trees and pohutukawa clinging to cliffs with the ocean just below.
Wildlife: Look out for rare New Zealand dotterels foraging on the beaches, plus other shorebirds.
Quick But Rewarding: Only 1.5 hours but you get spectacular scenery the whole way. Perfect half-morning or afternoon walk.
Parking: At the corner of Church Bay Road and Cable Bay Lane, about 2.5 km by road from central Oneroa. You can also link this walk with tracks from Matiatia to Church Bay.
1. Down to Cable Bay From the start, head down toward Cable Bay. The track descends to the beach.
2. Around the Peninsula Follow the track around the coast. This is where you start the up and down – lots of stairs as you wind your way around the peninsula. The track takes you:
3. Park Point Itself As you round Park Point (the western-most tip), you’ll have sweeping views of the inner Gulf, Rangitoto, and Auckland City skyline on your right. This is the most dramatic section.
4. Matarahui Bay ★ Perfect Swim Spot About halfway around, you’ll reach stunning Matarahui Bay. Beautiful beach with a grass reserve – perfect for a swim or picnic break. Take your time here.
5. Te Wharau Bay Continue around to Te Wharau Bay, another gorgeous bay with picnic spots.
6. Walter Frank Drive From Te Wharau Bay, the track completes the loop back via Walter Frank Drive.
7. Cable Bay Lane Signpost Follow the track up and down, across some short sections of rock and tree roots to the Cable Bay Lane signpost. Turn right to leave the beach behind.
8. Back to Start Short walk to Cable Bay Lane road. Turn right toward the road gates and use the stile to cross the fence back to your starting point.
Dogs are NOT allowed on the Park Point Headland Loop to protect the shoreline environment and nesting dotterels.
If you’re with a dog, there’s a dog-friendly alternative: From Cable Bay Lane, follow the road back to Pio Rehutai Reserve for an alternative route.
Best seasons:
Best times of day:
Avoid:
At start: None – this is just a road corner
Along the way:
Nearby:
Matarahui Bay and Te Wharau Bay are both beautiful for swimming. Sheltered, safe, with grass areas for leaving your stuff. Perfect on a hot day!
Perfect for:
Not ideal for:
Fitness needed: Moderate. The distance isn’t long but hundreds of steps up and down make this more challenging than you’d expect. You need good knees and reasonable fitness.
Generally safe but keep in mind:
You can combine this with longer Park Point walks:
This headland loop can connect with:
Check out my other Waiheke walks:
This is a brilliant short walk if you’re staying near Oneroa or want spectacular views without committing to a 3-4 hour trek. The constant up and down with all those steps is a proper workout – don’t underestimate it just because it’s only 4.4 km!
Park Point itself is stunning. The peninsula juts out so far that you really feel surrounded by water, and Motuihe Island looks incredibly close. The views to Rangitoto and Auckland are gorgeous, especially later in the day.
Matarahui Bay is beautiful – if you have time, definitely swim there. The water’s clear and it’s sheltered.
The hundreds of steps will make you work for those views, but that’s what makes it satisfying. Your legs will know they’ve done something, but it’s not brutally hard – just steady effort.
Only downside is no dogs allowed, which rules it out for some people. But that’s to protect the dotterels and shoreline, which is fair enough.
If you’re doing the Church Bay Circuit walk, you can extend it to include this headland loop for a longer day. But this shorter loop works perfectly on its own too.
Best time? Late afternoon for sunset views back toward Auckland. The light is gorgeous and you’ll finish just in time for dinner at Mudbrick or in Oneroa.
Done this walk? How many steps did you count? Did you swim at Matarahui Bay?
Walk info updated 2025. Check Auckland Council or Waiheke i-SITE for current track conditions.
Want more Waiheke walks? Check out all my Waiheke Island walks
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