Auckland Regional Parks

Umupuia Beach. Te Kuiti Cottage is on the left. 

The Regional Parks in Tamaki Makaurau are amazing –  26 of them, from Te Arai in the north to the Hunua Ranges in the south, and on both east and west coasts.  Many have baches which were farm cottages,  now available to the public to rent for holidays.

We honour the foresight of the regional councillors over the years who set aside land for public parks, and the staff and volunteers who maintain them.  We are glad to find that Council is now involving some manawhenua in decision-making about parks, and that increasingly signage  tells a thousand years of history rather than a hundred .

In the last two months we’ve stayed in two different cottages , Te Kuiti Cottage, metres from the sea at Umupuia Beach in Duder Regional Park, and Schischka House on the edge of the Puhoi River at Wenderholm.  

All baches are renovated in keeping with their history, beautifully cared for by Park staff , well-equipped with furniture and kitchen equipment, and in lovely locations for views and park access.  And they are available at very reasonable prices, especially off-season.

Here’s a glimpse of Te Kuiti Cottage:

Te Kuiti Cottage

Lounge, which looks out to sea..

The Auckland Regional Council Parks network was established in 1965 and now covers more than 40,000 hectares of land with historic, ecological and recreational value, including.

• 1120 historic sites
• thousands of hectares of native forest
• over 100kms of prime coastline

But statistics don’t convey how wonderful it is wake in an old well-loved cottage, to walk across a deserted sandy beach early in the morning, to swim in sea as still as glass, to climb grazed hills with stunning views, to walk through dense native bush, to visit old pa sites and to read the real history of the land , all within an hour’s drive of the busyness of a city and its million and more  people.  And to know that we can all share and help care for these beautiful places, uniquely framing our city, Tāmaki Makaurau.

 http://regionalparks.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks

www.forparks.org.nz/about-us