Karekare Beach

Karekare Beach is an isolated natural beauty which is inviting but rough, wild but popular. Movies and songs have been written and shot at this remote location, most notably ‘The Piano’ by New Zealand’s own director, Jane Campion. This dark Victorian tale was inspirational in denoting Karekare’s wild and untamed attraction onto film. Karekare Beach has a long association with the surf life-saving association of New Zealand, with surf patrols being seen on patrol during the long summer months. A plaque of remembrance has been placed into the cliffs as a seaside memorial to two dozen surf lifesavers that departed New Zealand’s shores for the war in Europe. The plaque is one of hundreds placed throughout New Zealand’s shorelines. Follow the path to the south of Karekare Beach to the old rail-line along the coast and discover a steam engine boiler. Tidal reading is necessary to avoid being stranded in the area. An unexpected delight is the Karekare Falls (25 metres), where three streams converge and spill into a lush green shady clearing after taking a short, easy 5 minute walk from the Karekare car park. Karekare Beach is located 35 kilometres/21.75 miles west of the centre of Auckland City, and an easy 40 minute drive. Karekare Beach is a part of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, where camping, back-packing, fishing, picnicking, surfing, swimming and nature walks are on offer in this spectacular area. Try one of the many fantastic walks on offer such as the Zion Ridge Track (1.4km), Cave Rock Track (0.25 km), Buck Taylor Track (1.8km) are 45 minutes in duration. Or if time is restricted a leisurely 15 minute (0.5km) walk along the Pohutukawa Glade Walk Track will give you a light journey through the park. Visitors looking to experience a 2 hour walk have the Odlin Timber Track to take them through to the Pararaha and Cowans Stream. The track can become slippery in the winter months or after a rain fall. For safety reasons the Arataki Visitor Centre or one of the registered guiding companies will help your trek through the area a memorable visitor friendly excursion.