Westend Track
Tawharanui Regional Park
Your Nature Guide
Marios Gavalas
Author And Researcher
Nau mai, haere mai
Nau mai, haere mai
I'm Marios, delivering the best of Aotearoa's nature walks to your device.
I've personally walked hundreds of New Zealand's tracks and spent months in libraries uncovering interesting information on New Zealand/Aotearoa. And you'll find a slice of that research on this page - enjoy!
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Information
Westend Track
approx 4 km return | 1 hour 30 minutes return
Tawharanui Regional Park sits on the tip of a protruding limb of resistant greywacke, which commands spectacular views in all directions.
Compared to the relative intimacy of inner Waitemata Harbour inlets and coves, the views at Tawharanui Regional Park are on a grander scale. The inner Hauraki Gulf islands are replaced with the Moehau Range of the Coromandel Peninsula, Great Barrier Island, Little Barrier Island, Hen and Chickens Islands and Bream Head.
A network of tracks criss-cross the park. Most are either on a metalled surface or over a grass track on pastureland.
There are three loop walks through pasture and forest, over craggy coastal rocks and along golden sandy beaches.
The Westend Track beaches are all north facing and idyllic spots to spend time. A sprinkling of shells decorate the firm fine golden sand and dunefields recede behind.
Walking Track
Access
Access to Tawharanui Regional Park is signposted past Matakana along Takatu Road.
There are toilets at Anchor Bay and near the information buildings. Picnic tables and parking are at the Lagoon Carpark on the entrance road and at Anchor Bay at the roadend.
The start of the track is signposted to the west of Anchor Bay carpark.
Track
Take care familiarising yourself with the track layout on the information panels, as it can be complicated to decipher.
The track follows pasture for 15 minutes over a low undulating ridge before bearing left through a cattle yard along a metalled farm track.
The undulating climb over sometimes muddy pasture to the Pohutukawa Lookout takes 30 minutes before the track drops to the beach (15 minutes).
An alternative Shortcut Track is signposted from just after the cattle yard and cuts 15 minutes and the gradient out of the journey to the western end of Anchor Bay.
Follow the beach around Comets Rocks and Flat Rocks to return to Anchor Bay (30 minutes).
Geology
Little Barrier Island dominates the horizon like a monolith.
Details
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Organisation |
Auckland Regional CouncilCouncil organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Warkworth |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Walking
