• Restaurants and Cafes
• Water activities
• Walks and fantastic views

Half Moon Bay Marina is situated on the Tamaki River close to Auckland City. A short walk takes you to a small shopping centre which includes good bars and el fresco restaurants that locals and visitors enjoy. Ferry services to and from Auckland City and Waiheke Island operate from here.Travelling by ferry is a great way to enjoy the scenery and view the area from a different perspective.

Maps and details of transport options and tourist information are available at the Bus and Ferry Terminal at the end of the Marina.

There is a pleasant walk to the closest beach – Little Bucklands. The pathway and boardwalk is located behind the boatsheds at the opposite end of the Marina to the Ferry and Bus terminal.

Allow for at least an hour to get there and back to the Marina. Restaurants at the Marina include Grangers and Ara-Tai. Half Moon Bay is a popular berth for privately owned boats and is home to the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club. Giveitagokayaks operate from the nearby beaches of Eastern and Little Bucklands during the summer months – http://www.hmbmarina.co.nz

More information about Bucklands Beach / Eastern Beach >> read more

Stockade Hill is an historic site providing 360 degree views around Auckland, and possibly the best views of the Hauraki Gulf in the whole of Auckland.

Being the highest point in the area it was used strategically by early settlers to look out for invaders, and to provide a safe haven for early settler Fencible women and children. The original trenches around the summit are still visible. Stockade Hill became a public park in 1919.

A war memorial is sited at the summit and honours those locals who fell during the World Wars. Events are held on Stockade Hill each year. Anzac ceremonies with commemorative crosses and red poppies every April remind us of the great sacrifice made at Gallipoli during WW1.

The historic fir tree is lit up for the festive season and Carols by Candlelight are enjoyed by local families every December. Stockade Hill is a popular scenic lookout for locals and visitors, and overlooks the main street of picturesque Howick Village. Driving into Howick around Stockade Hill provides spectacular and memorable views across to the islands and the distant Coromandel.

More information about Howick >> read more

Uxbridge Arts & Culture is the Arts and Culture hub of Howick and East Auckland. Uxbridge hosts tours and fun family events as well as performances in the Uxbridge Theatre.

Visit Howick’s contemporary Art Gallery here, The Malcolm Smith Gallery, The Uxbridge events programme is supported by a vibrant and exciting mix of outdoor, performance, education, fitness and community events for all ages and cultures.

Tours and visits to places of interest in and around the Auckland region are a regular feature in our seniors programme.

Howick Village (www.howickvillage.co.nz) is regarded by some as Auckland’s “most historically conscious place” due to the relatively numerous remaining heritage buildings and other historical remnants from its early European settlement past.

Locals love the quaint seaside surrounds of Howick Village. Visit boutique shops, enjoy great dining and coffee, check out art galleries, and visit the historic All Saints Church. Howick offers all the essential professional business services and healthcare experts. With amazing views from Stockade Hill, and the top of Uxbridge and Selwyn Roads, Picton Street is the main road through the Village where you can find the Saturday morning market hosted by Howick Village Business Association. Restaurants include The Apothecary, Basalt, and The Good Home to name a few. The Uxbridge Art & Culture Centre is a two minute walk down Uxbridge Road.

The Howick Art Group display their art works at Green Gables, Cook Street on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Other places of interest (a 15 minute walk): The Polish Heritage Trust Museum; NZ Knit Factory

Enjoy the Howick Village’s history by loading Howick’s Heritage App www.mytoursapp.com/apps/howicks-heritage 
The interactive walking allows users to discover the history of Picton Street and explore some of the nearby landmarks through a range of historic images, interactive maps and audio commentary.

More information about Howick >> read more

Mangemangeroa Walkway main entrance is at 108 Somerville Road, Howick. It is not a circular route as you can go north to Cockle Bay or south towards Hayley Lane from this starting point.

The Mangemangeroa Valley has beautiful lookouts, and is steeped in Maori and early European history. The walkway runs through native bush, past mudflats, some boardwalk tracks, some parts can be muddy with some hilly farmland often dotted with cows. There is also some coastal hill climbing, and a steep staircase if you wish to leave at the Shelly Park Cruising Club. Ferries used to manoeuvre through the creek but now it’s home to mangroves, crabs and hosts of birds.

The full walk can take in excess of 3 hours and is suitable for people with good walking fitness. The views from the top of the ridge down the valley to the estuary are stunning. https://mangemangeroa.org.nz/

Fo Guang Shen Buddhist Temple and complex occupies over 4 hectares, and was built over seven years. It was designed in the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. The temple also includes a large Buddha statue and a two-tonne bell.

The Temple is open to everyone from all religious backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. The mission of the Temple is to promote Humanistic Buddhism “through education and teaching people how to lead good lives.”

The temple provides community courses such as Chinese calligraphy, Chinese language, yoga and martial arts. The carefully designed and manicured courtyard, lined with Zen gardens, elevated cherry blossom pathways, hexagonal-shaped stone lanterns, a wishing bell and statues of novice monks provokes spiritual thought.

At the Waterdrop Vege Café, a traditional tea house, you can enjoy frangrant tea and vegetarian food. The Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery provides an opportunity for locals to appreciate and interact with art, showcasing both local and international artworks all year round through a combination of beautiful Buddhism art and crafts, literature and academic studies.

The spiritual shop has a collection of artefacts, jade statues, jewellery, incense sticks, books, diaries and lucky charms. This website is for both the East Auckland and the Christchurch Temples : www.fgs.org.nz

More information about Flat Bush >> read more

Barry Curtis Park, in Flat Bush, was opened in 2009 after previously being farmland (and some of the farm’s old stone walls remain).

At 94 hectares, it is one of New Zealand’s largest parks. As it is a new park the facilities are still being developed, and there is a lack of mature trees; some areas can be muddy after rain.

The walking route is suitable for children to ride bikes and scooters, and for prams/buggies. There is a children’s playground and skateboard park. There are a lot of structures and more are being added over time.

More information about Flat Bush >> read more

Botany Town Centre is found at a major junction with shops on all corners. Botany Town Centre is a large shopping complex of around 200 shops, including chain stores, boutiques, restaurants and a cinema complex.

A major bus station is located here. On opposite sides of the junction are other shops as well as family activities including the Paradise Ice Skating, Laser Tag, and Breakout, the Xtreme bowling alley complex, and various food outlets.

Both the historic Hawthorn Dene Cottage Cafe and the Pakuranga Golf Club are a short walk. Plenty to keep the family busy. www.botanytowncentre.co.nz

More information about Botany >> read more

Howick Historical Village is a re-creation of a New Zealand colonial village using houses and cottages saved from the surrounding Auckland suburb of Howick.

The buildings have been lovingly restored and give an excellent idea of the early settlement of the area. The Village is located in the beautiful Lloyd Elsmore Park. There is a café and gift shop on site.

It’s a popular place for families and groups to visit. Regularly held “Live Days” show the Village as a Living Museum, with costumed villagers going about their day to day lives as the Fencibles would have in the 19th Century. These Live Days include traditional games and crafts, as well as demonstrations by the 65th Regiment Soldiers. www.historicalvillage.org.nz

More information about Howick Historical Village >> read more

Te Tuhi, located adjacent to the Pakuranga Plaza, is one of New Zealand’s foremost contemporary art spaces, and a leader in experimental practice.

It was founded in the early 1960s by a group of forward-thinking creative women.

Te Tuhi works with many nationally and internationally established artists, and artworks commissioned by Te Tuhi have been nominated for national and international art awards or acquired for significant collections and exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. http://www.tetuhi.org.nz/

More information about Te Tuhi >> read more

Pakuranga Coastal Rotary Walkway is an 11 km route from Panmure Bridge to Halfmoon Bay Marina. It is a scenic and high quality walk and cycleway.

It can be accessed from many varying points along the route. The walkway is suitable for all – except for some steep stairs near the Halfmoon Bay Marina end of the walkway – near Clyside Drive.

The track is mostly wide and paved – winding its way alongside the Tamaki River and its varied and many tributaries. You can stop and take a break on one of the many seats along the walkway. There is a snakes and ladders playground near the Bramley Drive entrance.

Nearer Halfmoon Bay the walkway uses a number of existing roads that are connected by small pathways, and the way is not always clear. We recommend walking along Prince Regent Drive towards the Marina, turning left into Pigeon Mountain Road taking you to the Halfmoon Bay Marina where you will find with a good selection of eating establishments, and ferries to Auckland City and Waiheke. 

The walking route is also great for prams/buggies and dog walkers (on leash only).
greataucklandwalks.com/coastal-pakuranga-rotary-walkway

Lloyd Elsmore Park is one of Auckland’s largest sports parks. It provides access to a range of sports fields and facilities including athletics, BMX, hockey, cricket, tennis, netball, baseball, squash, rugby, skateboarding and swimming.

The Park is also home to the Howick Historical Village, which presents life in the 1850 period of early Auckland and the fencible settlements, as well as the Howick Little Theatre.

The 69 hectare Park was originally farmland and named after Lloyd Elsmore, a local grocer who later became a city councillor and then Mayor or Manukau for twenty years to 1983. 

Local walkway, Cascades Path, can be joined near the Historical Village, and with plenty of open space and children’s playgrounds, it hosts community concerts and events including the Brit & Euro Classic Car Show in March each year that sees around 1200 gleaming examples of motorised transport on display, from the Mini to Rolls Royce, bringing in thousands of enthusiasts and visitors to the region.