At the same time as booking our camping site at the Upper Mangatawhiri Campground in the Hunua Ranges we also booked a spot at Te Haruhi Bay in Shakespear Regional Park. We were hoping to spend two nights here as well, however there was only enough room for one person rather than two for one of the nights so we only ended up booking for one night, at a cost of $13 each.
Ending up in Shakespear Regional Park was another easy decision as it was also on the list of things we wanted to do before we leave Auckland, so naturally we thought staying out there for a night so we could spend longer exploring was a good idea.
The Te Haruhi Bay Campground was more pricey than the Upper Mangatawhiri Campground which was supposed to mean that we had real toilets rather than a long drop (however the Upper Mangatawhiri Campground surprised us and had real toilets!), however there were still no cooking facilities so we had to take our own. There were two outdoor showers as well which was nice.
The Te Haruhi Bay Campground is beyond a locked gate and is right on the beach, there are also a few walks over the farm land which gives beautiful views of the harbour back towards Auckland and Rangitoto Island as well as out towards Whangaparaoa.
The maximum capacity at Te Haruhi Bay Campground is 140 people, which I was a little bit nervous was going to be a bit cramped. However I shouldn’t have worried as we found our own little corner of the campground to set up which was relatively secluded.
I would highly recommend doing the Tiri Track, however I would try to do it either in the morning or late afternoon as it is very open in the sun and gets very hot! The Tiri track can be started from the campground and goes up and over farm land to give you the beautiful views of the harbour.
There is a little side gate part way along the track which takes you to Pink Beach (which isn’t really a beach, but more rocks however it is beautiful and right on the water). A small portion of the track goes through native New Zealand bush which is pretty and a nice change from the farmland and the sun beating down on you.
We also saw some beautiful birds both on our walk and while sitting around at the campground including Kereru, Tui and a beautiful coloured parrot who was too quick for me to get my camera out and take a photo of him.
Overall I really enjoyed our experience at the Te Haruhi Bay Campground and would definitely go back if we were ever in the area looking for somewhere to camp.
Do you enjoy camping? Or have you been out to Te Haruhi Bay??
Looks beautiful! I haven’t been camping since I was a teen but a campsite on a beach sounds like the way to go.
I am definitely not a camper but it looks like a beautiful place. I’d love to visit Auckland.
Looks like a really beautiful place to camp! 🙂 I enjoy camping every so often.. but I am terrible with being around bugs. haha
Looks gorgeous! We’re going camping soon and I CAN’T WAIT!
I’m a girl scout leader and looking into Camp Fire Boys for my son, so camping is in my future. I camped quite a lot many moons ago, but none at all in more than a decade. Auckland sounds like a great adventure. I love the work out pic of you above right. It inspires me to get up off my butt and lose weight!
Ok that photo opp with the frame is so awesome! I love the view and the park sounds lovely. I’m not much into camping, but I enjoy visiting beautiful places.
The photo frames are super cool huh! I’m not gunna lie it was one of the reasons I wanted to go out here 😉
Looks amazing! I’ve never been there, and we haven’t been camping in ages, but it was fun last time we went. We did a road trip around the Coromandel area and just winged where we stayed – got some great camp sites. Wish I could remember the names!
I love the idea of just winging it, I’d like to do that maybe next year. It’s just harder over the holidays too do that!
I am not a fan of camping but I do it because my husband loves it. I like glamping a bit more. This spot looks gorgeous and I love the fact that they restrict the amount of people!