Get a taste of what predator-free Aotearoa might look and sound like as you experience the best of beach, bush and birdlife at Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary.

This diverse walk through forest and along rocky and sandy shores shows what can be achieved if native plants and wildlife have a safe haven in which to flourish. Expect spectacular views and surprises around almost every corner, especially of the feathered kind – takahē, petrels, gannets, toutouwai, even kiwi if you roam after dusk.

Enter the pest-proof enclosure and continue to the main car park at the end of Takatu Road, where there are toilets, information and a water fountain. Turn right across the grassed area fronting the beach to reach Sanctuary Hut, where you can learn about the park, its history, and the wildlife and conservation work undertaken by Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary Society in partnership with Auckland Council.

From the hut, take the short out-and-back mown path to a spot above Flat Rock that provides good views of Anchor and Waikōkōwai bays and Te Hauturu-o-Toi Little Barrier Island. Retrace your steps and turn left up the gravel road. 

Take the Ecology Trail and follow yellow marker posts to a clearing. You may see tīeke foraging for insects among the leaf litter or takahē ‘chatting’ to one another as they scratch about in the grass and undergrowth. 

Take the right fork, keeping Waikōkōwai Stream on your left. Round the curve, take the left fork and continue to follow the yellow markers to arrive at a shoe cleaning station. On the way the path narrows as the lush broadleaf forest of nīkau, karaka, taraire and pūriri closes in.

Stay on the Ecology Trail and cross a small bridge. As you ascend, notice how the bush changes. You’re now in remnant forest and surrounded by the likes of kauri, rimu, tōtara and tanekaha. Pause at the log circle clearing to listen and watch for birds – kākā, kererū, kākāriki, korimako, tūī and many more. Climb on to reach the cleaning station where bush meets farmland. 

Turn right here and follow the white North Coast Track markers. Enjoy unimpeded views of Omaha Bay, Hauturu and Kawau islands, Whangaparāoa and perhaps Coromandel Peninsula as you traverse the ridge. 

Enter regenerating bush at the start of the Takatū Loop Track (black markers) and walk straight ahead. It emerges at precipitous Takatū Point, from where you can see Hauturu and Aotea Great Barrier Island. Returning, take the left fork where you will be treated to spectacular vistas of rocky spires. The track continues, though it is indistinct for a short distance. 

Complete the loop and return via the North Coast Track to the yellow markers that lead downhill, across a paddock and through bush to a shingle beach. You’re now in the no-take zone of Tāwharanui Marine Reserve. Watch for tōrea oyster catchers and other seabirds as you pick your way across several bays to reach sandy Waikōkōwai Bay, where you may see dotterel near the dunes. Take the path under the big pōhutukawa at the end, turn right at the Sanctuary Hut and return to the car park.