Top picks:

• Horseride along the wide black-sand Karioitahi beach
• Indulge your palate with a visit to organic orchards
• Mountain bike through the Waiuku Forest and Awhitu Regional Park
• Climb to the top of the Manukau Heads Lighthouse

Fact file:

• New Zealand’s most tragic shipwreck occurred at Manukau Heads when HMS Orpheus ran aground on the tidal sandbar in 1863
• Manukau Heads Lighthouse was built in 1874
• Awhitu was an important early settlement area and gateway to the rest of the country

Why visit?

For a place with such rich history, character and natural beauty it is surprisingly still a hidden gem to many Aucklanders.

A rugged peninsula to the south-west of Auckland, Awhitu is both spectacular and wild. The view as you drive into the Awhitu area is truly breathtaking. 

Awhitu Peninsula is only an hour away from downtown Auckland, but a whole lifetime away with its vast panoramas across wild black-sand beaches and winding cliff-side roads. The restored heritage Manukau Heads Lighthouse sits proudly on the very tip of the Awhitu Peninsula and overlooks the treacherous sandbar and turbulent ocean.  This lighthouse is particularly special as it’s one of only a few in New Zealand you can actually climb to the top of.

Get back to nature with short walks and mountain bike rides in the Awhitu Regional Park, taste the delicious Chardonnay and Syrah wines at Awhitu Wines, or experience the wild-west coast on horseback.

Location

View Awhitu Peninsula in a larger map