Tāpapakanga Regional Park

Tāpapakanga Regional Park sits on the Pōhutukawa Coast south of Auckland, overlooking the Firth of Thames. The beachfront campground offers around 10 unpowered sites in a coastal bush setting, with a short walk down to a sheltered beach for swimming and fishing. It is one of Auckland Council’s regional park campgrounds, and feels far more remote than its distance from the city suggests.

Facilities are basic. There are no showers, no drinking water, and no camp kitchen, so you need to be fully self-sufficient. Gas BBQs are available, but campfires are not permitted. The park is best suited to tents and smaller campervans, with some sites tent-only. Pets are not allowed.

The walking tracks through the park wind through native bush and along the coastline, with pohutukawa trees flowering red in December and January. Shorebirds, native bush birds, and the occasional seal or dolphin make appearances. At $15 per adult and $6 per child, it is an affordable nature escape from Auckland. Book ahead, especially over summer weekends.