THIS WALK QUICKLY BECAME PART OF OUR TOP 10 WALKS IN AUCKLAND
18 SEPTEMBER 2022
Pretty buttercups. I remember rubbing them under my chin as a kid to see if I liked butter or not! It was a kiwi kid thing
I Remember Coming Here As A Kid
I remember coming to Welderholm regional park as a little kid. It always felt like we were going on holiday even though we only lived 30 minutes away because it had that camping/beach vibe too it. I remember going there and thinking everyone seems so happy here, so I knew it was a place I wanted to take my kids as they were growing up.
One thing I never got to experience as a kid coming to Wenderholm was the Couldrey House Lookout Track! We only recently discovered this little gem when we were taking frequent trips to the Wenderholm beach.
As we pulled into Wenderholm Regional Park and hit the first long narrow straight, we spotted the entrance to the walk just to the right (approximately halfway between the main road turn off to Wenderholm and the beach carpark itself). You might be wondering about the Couldrey name as well, Couldrey House is a beautiful historic Victorian-Edwardian family home set within Wenderholm Regional Park itself. It's open to the public most days from 1pm - 4pm and has 9 beautifully furnished rooms on display for everyone to enjoy. There is an admission fee and you can find more information here.
The track itself is a well-maintained dirt track with loose metal in some parts and plenty of stairs. Yeaaaaah, feel the burn! The track zig zags its way up the hill, taking you through lush native bush and is covered most of the way. There are beautiful nikau palms which give the track a tropical feel as well as native New Zealand birds like kererū, tūī, fantail, grey warblers and morepork which we saw!
One thing I never got to experience as a kid coming to Wenderholm was the Couldrey House Lookout Track! We only recently discovered this little gem when we were taking frequent trips to the Wenderholm beach.
As we pulled into Wenderholm Regional Park and hit the first long narrow straight, we spotted the entrance to the walk just to the right (approximately halfway between the main road turn off to Wenderholm and the beach carpark itself). You might be wondering about the Couldrey name as well, Couldrey House is a beautiful historic Victorian-Edwardian family home set within Wenderholm Regional Park itself. It's open to the public most days from 1pm - 4pm and has 9 beautifully furnished rooms on display for everyone to enjoy. There is an admission fee and you can find more information here.
The track itself is a well-maintained dirt track with loose metal in some parts and plenty of stairs. Yeaaaaah, feel the burn! The track zig zags its way up the hill, taking you through lush native bush and is covered most of the way. There are beautiful nikau palms which give the track a tropical feel as well as native New Zealand birds like kererū, tūī, fantail, grey warblers and morepork which we saw!
The girls looking at a mumma duck with her ducklings in the field - can you spot them?
A really nice and well maintained dirt/loose metal track
Daddy at the back because he walks slow hehe
A Very Short Hike And You've Got Views That Will Knock You Off Your Feet
The track is a very quick 10 - 15-minute climb to the top where the bush starts to fade out and you are rewarded with the most incredible views across the Puhoi River and the Hauraki Gulf.
There's a timber handrail that sweeps around the side of the cliff and a small steep grass bank to your right with a bench seat at the top. The track can get busy, so you won't always be able to enjoy the view from the seat, but there's plenty of grass near the bench to sit and lots of shade from the big trees.
Our favourite spot was to sit under the nice big tree that's next to the bench seat. The girls love it up here too - the hill is perfect for a short roll down and to get absolutely covered in grass if it's recently been mowed and there are trees to climb as well. You feel like you are on top of the world because you're so high up and the people down on the beach look so tiny (like mini M&M's) and the sweeping views of the Puhoi River and Hauraki Gulf and the island beyond are fantastic.
You can hire kayaks in Puhoi (near the Puhoi Loop Track) and head down to Wenderholm where you'll be picked up and taken back to Puhoi. We haven't done this yet, but it was on our list to do (before I got a shoulder injury!).
There's a timber handrail that sweeps around the side of the cliff and a small steep grass bank to your right with a bench seat at the top. The track can get busy, so you won't always be able to enjoy the view from the seat, but there's plenty of grass near the bench to sit and lots of shade from the big trees.
Our favourite spot was to sit under the nice big tree that's next to the bench seat. The girls love it up here too - the hill is perfect for a short roll down and to get absolutely covered in grass if it's recently been mowed and there are trees to climb as well. You feel like you are on top of the world because you're so high up and the people down on the beach look so tiny (like mini M&M's) and the sweeping views of the Puhoi River and Hauraki Gulf and the island beyond are fantastic.
You can hire kayaks in Puhoi (near the Puhoi Loop Track) and head down to Wenderholm where you'll be picked up and taken back to Puhoi. We haven't done this yet, but it was on our list to do (before I got a shoulder injury!).
First glimpse of the view as you reach the lookout point
The view over Wenderholm beach
Dad and the girls resting their legs and getting ready to have a bite to eat
What's Beyond The Lookout?
The lookout is a great spot to check out then turn around, to make it a quick yet satisfying family walk. If you're up to exploring more of the area, you can head up on the path past the bench seat and it will take you to another huge clearing with expansive views, which is part of the Wenderholm Perimeter Track - a 4.6km track what will take around 1.5 hours to complete. We haven't done this ourselves but if it's anything like this track, it will be fantastic. You'll have views of Mahurangi Regional Park, Kawau Island and lots of smaller islands in the Hauraki Gulf. More details on the track itself can be found here .
We have only ever gone as far as the first clearing, as the day we decided to do this was blistering hot and the girls were not keen to go further in the heat! This is an even better place to chill out if the first lookout is packed, it's only 1 minute from the lookout.
We have only ever gone as far as the first clearing, as the day we decided to do this was blistering hot and the girls were not keen to go further in the heat! This is an even better place to chill out if the first lookout is packed, it's only 1 minute from the lookout.
Exploring a little beyond the lookout
We had to see what the view was like after climbing this hill
Mum... Dad.... Our Legs Are Getting Tired
As we spun around to head back down the same way that we came, we talked a lot about how fun the walk was. Even though the girls were tired, they really enjoyed it - especially the walk back down... NO HILLS TO CLIMB! But as we know, sometimes the walk downhill can be worse than going uphill like on the Mt Manaia Track as we had climbed over 1000 stairs to the top and our calves were like jelly!
Walking back down through the bush was a nice relief from the hot sun and a chance to check out the wildlife again. One day we had a morepork (not morechick or morebacon) watching us and in turn, we watched him/her for a while. It was exciting for the girls to see it because they are nocturnal, so it was a real treat!
The tide was out as we were making our way back and they tide was out so we didn't spot any kayakers on the Puhoi River. Still a beautiful view and the air up here was super fresh and the grass had been recently mowed so it had that heavenly summer smell. Mmm.
Walking back down through the bush was a nice relief from the hot sun and a chance to check out the wildlife again. One day we had a morepork (not morechick or morebacon) watching us and in turn, we watched him/her for a while. It was exciting for the girls to see it because they are nocturnal, so it was a real treat!
The tide was out as we were making our way back and they tide was out so we didn't spot any kayakers on the Puhoi River. Still a beautiful view and the air up here was super fresh and the grass had been recently mowed so it had that heavenly summer smell. Mmm.
The view over Wenderholm beach as we were heading back down
Puhoi river view again on our way down
Native bush.... What more could you ask for. Look at those colours!
You Can't End The Day Without Going To The Beach!
As we got back down to the bottom of the track, we decided to head down to the beach which is an area we can never turn down when we come here and the girls bring their togs if they know we're going within 20km radius to a beach (which is pretty much everywhere in Auckland!). Lath forgot his, so it was time to roll up the pants and get those good old white legs out and get in that water. It was the perfect way to end the day.
The water was actually really warm this particular day, so the girls found it easy just jumping in. Sienna is a real trooper and wasn't scared of the waves at all. Small to us adults, but they seem so large to the little ones.... well... not for Sienna, she takes on anything, big or small.
Quite often we would bring our little cooker down to the beach as well, swing by New World supermarket on the way through, grab some fresh kebabs and some salad, and cook up lunch or dinner. We really enjoy doing things like this, it's different, fun and its great getting the girls involved helping to prepare. For us it's about memories and creating as many good ones as we can.
Wenderholm Regional Park is huuuuge and there is so much space and massive pohutukawa trees which Bella loves - she's a tree hugger so of course we had to do a photo shoot in one of them.
The park can get super packed in summer, so head down as early as you can so you get a parking spot and a good spot under one of the trees.
The water was actually really warm this particular day, so the girls found it easy just jumping in. Sienna is a real trooper and wasn't scared of the waves at all. Small to us adults, but they seem so large to the little ones.... well... not for Sienna, she takes on anything, big or small.
Quite often we would bring our little cooker down to the beach as well, swing by New World supermarket on the way through, grab some fresh kebabs and some salad, and cook up lunch or dinner. We really enjoy doing things like this, it's different, fun and its great getting the girls involved helping to prepare. For us it's about memories and creating as many good ones as we can.
Wenderholm Regional Park is huuuuge and there is so much space and massive pohutukawa trees which Bella loves - she's a tree hugger so of course we had to do a photo shoot in one of them.
The park can get super packed in summer, so head down as early as you can so you get a parking spot and a good spot under one of the trees.
Whitey White Legs and Sienna get in and having a good splash
Bella in her element, up or around a tree somewhere
Know Before You Go
- There are toilets down by the beach in the park and also close to the main entrance as you come in on the right
- If you go on a weekend, it can be super busy during peak times. We remember going there one weekend and it was that packed there were parking wardens
- Take a picnic blanket or something comfy to sit on if you are heading up the Couldrey Track. There is a lovely little picnic spot up here on the grassy hill
- No doggies allowed
- Your last stop for food if you are coming from the south would be Orewa, so be sure to stop there for some food/water if you need to. There are no shops in Wenderholm
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
We've made it super simple. click this link and you'll get taken to the good map where you can enter your destination as the map will show you exactly how to get there. Enjoy!
Conclusion
This walk became a regular for us once we discovered it and if you live nearby, we are sure you'll make it a regular too. If you don't live close, no worries, just do it when you are passing through on a nice day and we are confident you will absolutely love it. It's a short walk full of great things to discover like native New Zealand birds and of course the incredible view at the top. Have a swim afterwards at Wenderholm Beach or have a picnic under one of the large trees in the park.
Gallery of the Couldrey House Track Lookout
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
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