The best Whangarei walks and how I got lost on Bream Head

Are you looking for the best Whangarei walks? In this post I’ll tell you all about my visits to Whangarei and the best walks that I did in the region, including on how I got lost on the Bream Head Te Whara Track in Whangarei Heads. I first visited Whangarei in 2018 and returned in 2022 when I was hiking a part of Te Araroa. This post contains experiences from both of these trips.
 
Please note this post was first published in 2018 and got updated in 2023
 

 

Arrival in Whangarei

Upon arrival in Whangarei it is raining. It has been a week since my arrival in New Zealand and so I cannot complain about the first drops of wetness pouring down on me. During a ten minute dry spell I quickly pitch up my tent at Top 10 Whangarei and walk to reception to inquire about the best Whangarei walks. Their staff advise me to walk to Whangarei Falls for the afternoon, an amazing forest walk that can be started right from the campsite. And so during the second dry spell of the day, I pack some snacks, a waterbottle and my rainjacket and venture off on the trail, on my way to the Whangarei Falls.
 

The best Whangarei walks: Whangarei Falls

As I walk down to the Hatea River from the campsite, I notice how lush and green this forest is. At the AH Reed Memorial Park along the way you can find some 500 year old kauri trees. The trail is easy to follow and with a few minor ups and downs only little challenging. After about an hour and a half I arrive at the base of the Whangarei Falls, 26 meters high and plunging down into the pond below. The falls drop down dramatically from basalt cliffs that were formed more than two million years ago, pretty impressive!
 
It has started to rain as I arrive at the falls and so I decide to head back to the campsite soon after, another 90 minute walk. Once back in the forest the rain is pouring down on my like crazy and I get soaked to the bone but in all honesty, I don’t even mind. I’m in New Zealand, I’m hiking and I’m happy. That’s all that counts for now.

Street Art Walk

A nice walk that I did in 2022 is the Street Art Walk in Whangarei, which I combined with a visit to the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery in the center of the city. The Street Art Walk takes you to 15 amazing murals in the heart of Whangarei, the route and information can be found here.
 

Whangarei Walks: Bream Head / Te Whara

The next day I decide to head out to Whangarei Heads, a 6.000 hectare peninsula just a 30 minute drive away from the town of Whangarei. I plan on hiking the The Whara Track, which is described as one of the best hikes in New Zealand. It’s supposed to be a strenuous walk but I don’t mind a bit of a challenge after the long drive from Auckland. I send my brother and boyfriend back home a message that I’m heading out for the day and that I’ll report again once I’ve arrived back at the campsite by the end of the day.
 
Although the sun is shining in Whangarei, it turns out that there’s a thick layer of clouds above Whangarei Heads. I decide to drive all the way to the far end of the peninsula, to Ocean’s Beach, where I park my car. It’s quite busy as the nearby beach is a popular summer destination and even though it’s cloudy, it’s quite humid. Soon after I leave the car, walk along the beach and into the forest not a whole lot later. The track climbs steadily up and I’m sweating like crazy. This definitely is not just a typical walk in the park.

And old WWII station

After about an hour I arrive at the remains of an old WWII station and after a quick visit, the trail goes up again. Further up, to the ridge on slippery trails that are still wet because of the heavy rainfalls earlier that week. My pace is slow because I have to watch where I place my feet every single step. The track gets more narrow and eventually I hit a sign ‘Warning: steep drop offs beyond this point. No formed or marked track’.
 
This makes me wonder and just few meters further, I hit a wall. Or at least some kind of wall, because all there is left in front of me is rock. I climb up a bit and indeed there are steep drop offs on either side. I can’t see a trail and am in doubt if I’ve maybe missed a sign leading me into the right (another) direction. I can hear people talk but I can’t see them since it’s misty. All I can hear is the ocean deep down below.
 
I sit down for a while, wondering what to do. This is vertical climbing and looks quite dangerous to me. I can’t imagine this is where the trail goes (I heard it’s hard but not impossible) yet this wall seems impassable.

I’m lost …

I don’t have a GPS but open Google Maps and look up my location. Somehow it doesn’t really help me and I keep on wondering where I am and if I’m still on the track at all. Usually Department of Conservation, who are in charge of the New Zealand hiking trails, makes sure that trails are well signposted and during my previous New Zealand trips I have not experienced this before. I grab a map that I have of the region but have honestly no idea where exactly I am. The ocean is right below me but on the map it says that I will never be right above the ocean. By then, I realize I am lost. For the first time in my career as a solo-hiker, I have entirely no idea where I am.
 
I decide to stay in good spirits, I must’ve missed a trailmarker or a sidetrack that would lead me to Urquhart’s Bay, the other end of the The Whara trail. I hike back down and realize that I have climbed quite a bit. The trail down is still slippery and eventually I run into a woman who is heading the same way I came back from. I warn her that this might not be the right track and show her the picture of the sign. We decide to head back together and look for the right trail along the way. Soon enough we reach the WWII station again and once again I feel lost. It must’ve been the right trail after all because no other trails have showed up along the way.
 
I can’t stand the fact that I just got confused, however I decide not to be bothered by it too much. I sit down at the picnic tables and grab some lunch. Another woman arrives, she is walking Te Araroa, New Zealand’s long distance trail. In the meanwhile the sun has started to shine. We enjoy our lunch together and end up chatting for about an hour. As she leaves, I decide to start making my way back to the car as it has become too late to head back to the point where I got lost and give this trail another try.

About the Bream Head / Te Whara Track

Within another hour I’m back at my car, which has been baking in the sun all afternoon. I take off my hiking boots, put on my flipflops and decide to head back to Whangarei for an iced coffee and a pizza. I’m sure I’ll have better luck on my next hike. Or maybe not …
 
The Bream Head / Te Whara Track is supposed to be one of the best Whangarei walks and even though I didn’t quite make it to the end of the trail, I can definitely recommend you hiking the section I’ve done, from Ocean’s Bay up to the old WWII station. From here, you can continue but just realize that the track is nowhere near easy. If you ever end up hiking here, feel free to let me know whether I should have continued climbing the rocks, or whether I did end up on the wrong track, one way or the other. Up until today, I still haven’t found out.

Reotahi and Mt Aubrey

One really nice and quite easy walk to do is the Reotahi Coastal Walk, and possibly combine it with the Mt. Aubrey hike. I did sections of these walks when I hiked Te Araroa in 2022 and unfortunately didn’t have super good weather, but the coastal walk was nice and gave great views over the bay.
 

 

Ocean Beach

This is not really a marked track, but you will absolutely love to go for a stroll along Ocean Beach located north of Whangarei Heads, on the ocean side. You can walk as far up as you want, keeping in mind though that there will be wet feet as there are a few tidal crossings and not all of the beach may be accessible during high tide.

Planning your New Zealand trip:

– Check the best flights to New Zealand on Skyscanner.
– Order your copy of Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand here.
– Search for the best accommodation in Whangarei here and in Whangarei Heads here. In 2022 I stayed at Cypress Court Motel, one of the better hotels in Whangarei.
– A list of best Whangarei walks can be found on the official Whangarei website
 

Conclusion and disclaimer

I hope you found this article with the best walks in Whangarei and Whangarei Heads useful. If you want to read more, please visit my New Zealand homepage with more than 50 articles about my hiking journeys through New Zealand.

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