A Top Beach on the Firth of Thames
Tāpapakanga Beach (also Ashby Beach) is the main beach within Tāpapakanga Regional Park, a coastal farm park near Ōrere Point in southeast Auckland. The beach runs roughly north-south along the western shore of the Firth of Thames for about 1 km, facing northeast toward the Coromandel Peninsula. The beach is narrow at high tide, but sandy and wide as the tide retreats. At the southeast end, the sand gives way to pebbles and stones as you approach the Tāpapakanga Stream. At the northeast end, there are cliffs with a rocky platform, dotted with curious golden boulders and bleached fallen pōhutukawas.
Swimming, Gathering, and Camping
The beach is safe for swimming, and best when the tide is in. There is also a freshwater swimming hole fed by the Tāpapakanga Stream, accessed at the southeast end of the beach. This is a particularly attractive spot, shrouded in recovering forest and pōhutkawa trees. Green-lipped mussels can be gathered from the low-tide rocks, subject to the standard legal bag limits. There is plenty of room for picnics on the grassy reserve, with mature sheltering rees around the nearby Ashby Homestead.
There are several campgrounds within the park, but the Beachfront Campground and Seaview Campground provide the best access to the beach, with short walks from west of the homestead.
How to Get There
From Downtown Auckland, take the southern motorway south, exit at Hill Road, then head east-northeast via Hill Road, Stratford Road, Alfriston Road, Alfriston-Ardmore Road, Clevedon-Takakani Road, and Clevedon-Papakura Road to Clevedon. From Clevedon, follow the Clevedon-Kawakawa Road east toward Kawakawa Bay, then continue on the Pacific Coast Highway past the turnoff into the park on Deerys Road. There are two large pou that mark the entrance. The drive takes around 80 minutes and is 68 km.
Nearby places to visit include Mātaitai Bay, Waitawa Bay and Pāwhetau Pā, all within Waitawa Regional Park, Kawakawa Bay, Tawhitokino Beach, Ōrere Point and Waharau Regional Park further south along the coast.
