Heading away from Howick and suburbia you travel into the more rural area of Franklin where the beautiful countryside greets you.  The Pohutukawa Coast is 20 minutes east of Howick, starting at the small village of Whitford and taking in the twin townships of Beachlands and Maraetai, before concluding at Umupuia (Duders Beach) where the road takes a sharp turn and heads inland to Clevedon, and falls within the Auckland boundaries of Franklin.

The coast is named for the gnarly native pohutukawa trees that are spread along the clifftops and foreshores of the coastline. The trees produce a magnificent red flower for about three weeks over the Christmas period.

At high tide on a perfect summer’s day, the short drive from Maraetai around the winding Coast road to Umupuia would surely rate as one of the most spectacular anywhere on Earth. Umupuia is home to Ngai Tai ki Tamaki’s marae and is an important cultural centre for the Ngai Tai tribe who have occupied the area since the earliest days of Maori settlement in Aotearoa (New Zealand).   

Whitford is a quaint, busy village with some retail and hospitality outlets.  Home to Quay Art Gallery, interesting homewares and gift shops, eateries and Whitford Merchants who have an amazing array of special gins and whiskeys.

Close to Whitford is the Whitford Country Club, a picturesque 18 hole golf course where visitors are welcome.  Turanga Creek Vineyard is not open to the public, but check their website for upcoming events held throughout the year, from music, markets and food.

Walk along the Turanga Valley along Wades Walkway.  This tidal waterway is lined by mangroves.  You should see the local birdlife.  The ferry used to come to Whitford bringing people and goods from Auckland  

The Whitford Village Green and adjacent Pohutukawa Park are local green spaces with a recently added walkway that extends through to new housing.

Ayrlies Garden and Wetlands

Head towards Beachlands along the Pohutukawa Coast and enjoy the spectacular scenery.  At Clifton Road head to Ayrlies.  This privately developed garden is a joy and well worth a visit.  One of New Zealand’s best known gardens with sweeping lawns and informal but detailed plantings by ponds and waterways has seen The New Zealand Gardens Trust rank Ayrlies as a “Garden of International Significance”.  It is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm $20 per head, no children under 12 and no dogs.  

The Whitford Bridal Trails walk is a 10km plus walk around the larger peninsular.

Rydges Formosa Golf Resort

Rydges Formosa Golf Course is an international standard golf course that it one of the most challenging in New Zealand. One of the challenges is keeping your mind on the game, especially on the ninth and 11th holes where the views are just stunning. The course is known for its palm trees that flank most of the fairways.  With chalets, restaurant, bar, conference and event facilities this location provides a high standard of accommodation and hospitality for East Auckland.

Pine Harbour

Pine Harbour has a ferry service linking it to Auckland City but this is currently a weekday service only but a weekend service is due to be provided during the summer of 2022/23  The Harbour is small with a few eateries and lovely views.

For those wishing to enjoy the views around the cliffs join the walkway at Pine Harbour and continue to the western end of Beachlands. From there you can walk the length of Second View Ave to the start of the Beachlands-Maraetai walk/cycleway.  This concrete pathway takes you along the clifftops with more great views, along the Te Puru foreshore, across the Te Puru Creek and through Omana Regional Park (or take a detour along a bush track that includes a boardwalk across wetlands). From there walk along Omana Regional Park foreshore and take the shell path across the rocks from Te Pene Pt to the Maraetai Boat Club. Walk past the boat club and arrive at Maraetai Beach and wharf. From Pine Harbour will take you a couple of hours, but there’s a swimming beach and foreshore cafes waiting at the end!

Beachlands to Maraetai

Omana Regional Park is a great place to visit.  Walk along the coastal walkway and enjoy the stunning scenery and calm waters.  Swimming conditions are perfect along these small sandy bays.

Maraetai

The beach here is spectactular with views and sand aplenty.  Great for swimming and family relaxation.  A couple of cafes are along the beachfront.

This piece of coastline is hard to beat and used in many advertising campaigns

Leaving the Maraetai coast road at Umapuia you head inland towards Clevedon.

Duder Regional Park

East Auckland boasts another beautiful Regional Park with great walking and stunning views.  Some of the tracks are over fields that are pretty rugged so best left to those confident walkers with suitable clothing and fitness.

You may notice buffalo grazing in fields close by - you can buy buffalo mozzerella at the Clevedon Village Farmers Market.

Maori History

The Coast area has a long history of settlement by the Ngai Tai tribe. Ngai Tai have a long, unbroken genealogy and occupation of their lands, waters and seas extending from the aboriginal Polynesian settlers, pre-dating the Hawaiiki immigrants.

The symbol best describing this is the taonga currently residing in the Auckland Museum –  a fossil human footprint dating from the founding eruption of Rangitoto 600 years ago and discovered on Motutapu island.  Important pa sites can be seen at Maraetai, Omana Regional Park and Motukaraka Island (Flat Island) off Sunkist Bay, Beachlands.

With many Maori historical sites lost over time we continue to research the region and will endeavour to include more information as this comes to hand.

Whitford Early European History

Early European settlement took place at Whitford due to easy access by boat via the Turanga Creek.  Picture of the Whitford Village Wharf today with insert of two ships at the wharf in 1890.  Cream, fresh produce and Granger bricks were some of the products shipped down the river to city markets.

Whitford was also home to the Grangers Brickworks situated along the Turanga Creek.  Not much is left, although the remains of a brick chimney may still be found.

The orignal Granger Brick "showhome" is still lived in and has been maintained in good order.

As you drive through the region you see some older homes that were built with Grangers red bricks, including the diminutive home that is now part of the Whitford Pony Club.  Picture shows the derelict building in 2008 and insert of it after its renovation.

Wades Walk runs along the edges of the Turanga river and named after the Wade family who settled here around 1843.  This walkway is on the opposite side of the Creek from Grangers Brickworks and you can imagine how imposing this industrial building would have been in this quiet rural setting.

Waikopua Cemetry has Broomfields, Whitfords, Hensons and Hattaways buried here as well as politician and former PM Mike Moore.

St Thomas’s Church built in 1932 in Whitford overlooks the Turanga Creek, and although is younger than other similar churches in the area, maintains the Selwyn characteristics that make these NZ church buildings so attractive.

The Whitford General Store located at the roundabout is pictured here in 1913.  Today it is a popular local pub and restaurant - and the original safe has been kept and can be seen through a glass floor tile.

Maraetai was identified as a recreational beach resort as early as the 1900s, but it remained mainly a small settlement of holiday homes (baches) due to the arduous trip from Auckland via difficult roads. It wasn’t until more recent times, and improved roads, that permanent settlement took place on a larger scale. Today an hourly bus service and ferries to Pine Harbour means the beach is much more accessible.