Situated at the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Shakespeare Regional Park is around a fifty minute drive from Auckland city centre. And it is so worth the drive – this area has some of the best beaches in the area in my opinion.
The Tiri Tiri track isn’t a strenuous walk at all although there are a few hills to contend with. It passes through farmland with sweeping views of the bay below as you get to the top of the track.
Park at the car park right next to the beach and when facing the beach walk to the left hand side until you reach a gravel path. This will lead you to the end of the beach and when you see the toilet block walk towards it and past it and then from there the track will be signposted using red markers.
The views from the track are breathtaking and look out onto the Hauraki Gulf. You will be sharing the track with lots of sheep (this is New Zealand after all) and cows. Don’t worry they are friendly enough and didn’t bother us at all.
There is the option of staying overnight at Shakespeare Regional Park as there are two campgrounds. Even though you are not too far from the city you feel a million miles away and I would definitely like to camp here over the summer.
The regional park is a working farm and as well as the sheep and cattle is home to a number of native birds such as white-faced herons, stilts, dotterels, tui and native pigeons.
The regional park is named after the Shakespear family who bought the land in the 1880s from the local Maori. There are also two other walkways – the Heritage Trail and the Lookout Track which I haven’t completed yet but are definitely on my list.
I’ve done this walk around four times now and it never fails to impress. It’s also a great walk to take visitors on as they are always impressed by the sweeping views of the bay and the quintessential New Zealand scenery complete with lots of sheep.
Again, any recommendations you have for walks in or around Auckland, send them my way.