Joanna James
Auckland is famous for its natural beauty. The city attracts tourists for its beautiful coastlines overlooking lush mountains, waterfalls, lakes and dunes. Here are some of the best walking trails to explore when in Auckland.
Located 30 km from Auckland CBD, this hilly walk, starting from Bethells to Muriwai Beach or vice versa has spectacular vistas of the rugged west coast of Auckland. You can easily accustom the walking route to accommodate your level of fitness and preference. You can go on two or four-kilometre oneway paths or the complete ten-kilometre trek.
Presently, some sections of the trail remain sealed off because of perilous drops. Certain sections of the trail from the Bethells Road car park to Raetahinga Point remain accessible and to O'Neill bay. All these walks are a little under a two-hour hike each way. You'll witness sights of dunes, lagoons, the western coast surf, and gannets hunting fish. This route is part of the Hillary Trail that combines a web of extant paths in the Waitākere Mountain Ranges.
The Karamatura hike is a great option for beginners, or for when you want a comfortable trek. The trail is roughly 3.5 kilometres long and well-preserved, resulting in an enjoyable and easy walk. It will take around 1.5 hours to complete this hike. At the end of the trail, you can find a ton of pretty spots to relax and eat a packed meal overlooking the waterfall.
The environment surrounding the cascade is peaceful and picturesque. There will be plenty of places to take some incredible-looking photos. Afterwards, you can sit back at the rocks and revel in nature's bounty. Some of the best hotels in Auckland the likes of Avani Auckland Metropolis Residences are options to look out for if you're in need of accommodation with easy access to this water fall.
If you head towards the west of Bethells/Te Henga you will ultimately cross paths with the Lake Wainamu trail. From its car park, the Waitākere Mountain route spreads along the creek for around 25 minutes and opens to a lagoon, a base for an alien-looking black dune! From here, there is a one-hour trek around a lake fringed with native backcountry. At the end of your adventure, slide along the enormous dune and take a dip in the freshwater lake!
Waiheke Island is where you can find several awesome walks and one of them is Stony Batter Historic Reserve.
The hike via Stony Batter Historic Reserve will take about 2 hours and a length of 4 km. As you reach the apex of the trail, you will be witnessing stunning scenes of Waiheke Island and its bays in every direction. This is indeed a great location for group treks with all the incredible open grounds and fascinating historic areas to scour. Groups can have lots of fun discovering the history of this area – plus, it has the biggest WWII underpasses and gun stationing complexes in New Zealand.
This loop has incredible sceneries of the Western Coast of Auckland and can be combined with another loop called Mercer Bay for a lengthier hike. On its own, Comans Track will take about 2.5 hours to finish. This is a moderately difficult hike, although not too tiring. With lots of cliffs and shaded areas towards the end of the trail, you can cool off while taking in the beauty of your surroundings.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
