One of Auckland’s Most Scenic Walks – Milford to Takapuna Coastal Walk

One of my favourite walks on a lazy Sunday afternoon is from Milford Beach along the coast to Takapuna Beach.

The Milford to Takapuna walk is perfect on a sunny day because the scenery is so spectacular. The walk takes you along a beautiful sandy beach and you can scramble over volcanic rocks, all with beautiful views of Auckland Gulf and Rangitoto Island along the way.

Start at Milford Reserve. There is normally good car parking here and it is just a matter of heading to the beach and turning right. Then meander along the beach, follow the path that leads along the shoreline, around corners and over rocks to Takapuna Beach. Some like to jog!

Did I mention the views are spectacular?

I suggest using walking shoes but of course Basker sometimes wears jandals here and that seems to work okay for him. A gentle walk takes around 45 minutes each way or longer if you stop to gaze at beautiful Rangitoto Island bathed in a sparkling blue ocean or if you wish to fossick amongst the black volcanic rock pools to see tiny marine life and fossils of ancient forests preserved by lava flows.

Also allow time for your well deserved reward of a great coffee or cold ice cream at the Takapuna Beach Café at the mid way point of the walk… before you start the walk back to the car.

The Milford-Takapuna walk is best at low tide as the rocks are exposed and the path is dry. Check the tides on the MetService website.

The walk is suitable for all levels of fitness however the second part of the walk over black volcanic rock is uneven and involves some level of rock scrambling. I love this because it requires lots of stepping up and down, hopping from one rock to another, and this is great as a gentle form of exercise while you don’t even notice…

Along the path you will find a culvert path, a giant stone armchair, a bush covered part that crosses over private property (permitted by the owners but it’s necessary to stick to the route), beautiful houses with uninterrupted views of the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto Island. Rangitoto Island is the largest and least altered volcano in the Auckland Volcanic Field.

It is a popular walk and we enjoy seeing prams, babies and children on family walks with lots of laughter and happy chatter.