Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway
This walk provides breathtaking coastal views that extend from Bream Head in the north down to the Tāwharanui Peninsula in the south. The Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island/Aotea are often seen on the horizon.
The track starts along the beach, then climbs quite steeply for about 20 minutes to a lookout point. It then winds past ancient pōhutukawa teetering on the sheer slopes before descending to the stony beach below. From here you can walk back along the beach (8 km), but only at low tide. Keep to the marked track as it crosses private property.
Getting there
Mangawhai is 25 km from Waipu to the north and 26 km from Wellsford to the south.
Access to the track is from the Kaipara District Council car park near the Mangawhai Surf Life Saving Club at the end of Wintle Street.
Nature and conservation
Pōhutukawa and nīkau palms feature on this walk. You may see New Zealand pigeon/kererū devouring the fruit or possibly a kākā making an occasional visit from the offshore islands.
History and culture
The local iwi Te Uri O Hau arrived here on their ancestral waka (canoe), Mahuhu Ki Te Rangi, around AD 1250. In the 1800s, Chief Te Whai resided here at Manga ‘where the rivers meet’, where the name Manga-Te-Whai comes from.
Know before you go
What to expect:
- Track surface: Coastal section is unformed, rough and rocky
- Change to elevation: +/- 115 m
- Hazards
- The return loop along the beach is only possible at low tide. Check the Mangawhai Heads tide timetable (external site) before you go. If water is surging through the huge rock archway, return via the cliff track.
- There is an ongoing risk of loose and unstable material, particularly along the coastal section.
- Wasps and wasp nests may be present.
Source: Department of Conservation