Karekare Beach

Beautiful rugged beach out West. I had my first visit here today; plenty of other people were also enjoying the sunny, summer public holiday. Families with their kites, pet dogs, a few surfers and one handful of people (adults and children) were having a model boat race down the water inlet — great idea! Looked like lots of fun!
There were lifeguards on duty and they had flags set up to swim in between. Although I didn’t see many people out in the water. All the West coast beaches are infamous for their tough swimming conditions.
The beach has a nice long stretch of sand, gorgeous views and fresh, beautiful air. What more could you want?

This beach felt more like the moon than any beach I have ever been to. I was blown away by the vastness of the beach and the unique grayish color of the sand. The feeling of being on the moon was enhanced by the fact that there weren’t any other people on the beach within sight. This made it great for walking and picture taking at a one-​of-​a-​kind beach. The views included pristine water and waves, sheer black cliffs, and views down the beach all the way to the horizon. This beach really was one of the coolest beaches I have ever visited and I think everyone should drop what they are doing to go check it out.

By now a lot of the world has seen Karekare’s beauty on screen and it’s not hard to see why this place is a movie star. It’s just so stunning it takes your breath away and I’m sure there’s not another place like it in the world.
Dwarfed by sheer black rock cliffs either side, it almost has the feel of being inside a vast exterior room. The swimming here is not as dangerous as at nearby Piha but swimmers should still be careful — they don’t call it the Wild West for nothing.
Apart from Karekare being one of the most beautiful places on the planet, there’s also a cave and waterfall; both of which are popular places for weddings and other special events. There’s a deep spirituality to Karekare which has to be experienced to be understood and if you’re in need of emotional healing (yes I’m sounding like a crazy hippy) this is a wonderful place to do it.

I love Karekare! It’s absolutely stunning. It’s just around the corner from Piha (you’ll see the turn off on your way to Piha from Titirangi). It’s quite windy on your way down so take it easy on the brakes or smell burnt rubber! There’s a nice walk up to the waterfall, always a must-​do if you’re new to Auckland and haven’t been out west to the beaches before. The waterfall is pretty and you can take a dip in there too. Now, the only weird thing about this beach is the one bad experience I had there. I don’t know what was going on, but there were flies EVERYWHERE, to the point that we had to leave because we couldn’t relax. It was like there was a corpse there. You couldn’t sit still because flies were constantly landing on you and it was uncomfortable and gross. But that was just one time and I have since been back and there were no flags, so I’m letting it pass. It’s a great beach and it’s truly beautiful.

Who doesn’t love this place. Seriously it is an amazing beach situated around the corner (sort of, not really) from Piha beach. This spot is a nice and quiet, a little less chaotic spot for beach joys.
I have the fondest memories of Kare Kare beach, and the ones that most stand out are the sand dunes and going down them on our bodyboards. Too much fun.
So there is the sand dunes and the epic walks you can take, and the surf of course. The only downside (and its a only a downside if you are super lazy) is that you have to walk a fair bit to get to the beach from the car park area. But it is a pleasant walk, past the Surf Club, along the stream and up and down some little sand dunes. It is really quite enjoyable and not a drag at all.
Oh, and wear jandals because:
a) The sand might be super hot and you don’t want to always do the run and hop on your towel trick.
b) You might have to go over a few rocks through the stream.

This is the location of one of our famous films, The Piano, and one of my absolute all time favourite New Zealand beaches. The whole scene is dramatic, the volcanic cliffs, black sand, sand dunes and ever changing ocean.
The car park is located next to the stream, and the public toilets are very tidy. It is a short walk along the stream and past the surf life saving club rooms to the beach itself. Swim between the flags in summer. Surfers and fishermen alike love this beach as do dog walkers and families who love to make the most of the stunning West Coast beaches of Auckland.
We love to climb the big sand dune and race down to the bottom. We also love to take the short walk to Karekare waterfall, just beautiful.

Miles and Miles of Black Sand Beach makes Kare Kare unique from other beaches around the Auckland area. It’s quite a long drive through beautiful forested roads (about 40mins from the city), but the spectacle at the end makes it all worth it. There are massive sand dunes to slide down, a beautiful large rock perched in the ocean and tall mountainous surrounds. It’s so epic, you’d think it would be great in a movie — well, it was. Several NZ films were made here, and I used the spot myself for a music video.
Aside from the awesome beach, there’s a short walk down to some cascading falls. You can see how large and breathtaking they are as you drive down to the car park. It’s so huge and secluded out in Kare Kare that the beach is rarely busy, making it a lovely break away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland.