A Secluded Bay with Kayak Campground
Waitawa Bay is one of the bays on Waitawa Regional Park, a coastal park on the Tāmaki Strait in southeast Auckland. It is framed by Kōherrahi Point to the northwest and Pāwhetau Point to the southeast. It is the quieter and more secluded bay in the park, accessible only on foot, along a grass track from a short access road or from the main car park at Mātaitai Bay via the Waitawa Bay Track. This track descends steeply through regrowth forest from the main park access road.
The Bay and Campground
The bay has a mostly orange coloured pebbly beach, about 600 metres long, with flat rocky areas closer to the points at either end. It is the park's designated kayak campground, a key stop on the Te Ara Moana kayak trail that links a series of Auckland regional parks along the southeast coast. The campground is in a grassy reserve immediately behind the beach. From the campground and beach, the views look east across the Tāmaki Strait to the Coromandel Peninsula and south along the Firth of Thames.
Very steep hill slopes are a feature as you walk along the beach towards Waitawa Point. The tracks to the bay from the main road and from the bay Pāwhetau Pā can run along the beach, and access may be constrained at high tide. The bay's remoteness makes it a peaceful overnight destination for kayakers and walkers prepared to carry in their gear a short distance.
Dogs are prohibited at the campground year-round and throughout the park from 1 July to 1 December. Camping at Waitawa Bay requires advance booking through Auckland City.
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, with the park entrance before Kawakawa. The main car park at Mātaitai Bay is reached by following the main access road down to the bay. The drive takes around 70 minutes and is 52 km.
Nearby places to visit include Kawakawa Bay Coast Road, Tawhitokino Beach, Ōrere Point and Tāpapakanga Regional Park further south along the coast.
