In my opinion, Kohimarama Beach is one of Auckland's prettiest (urban) beaches along with St…read moreHeliers Beach, which is the next one around on Tamaki Drive, Auckland. It is lined with gorgeous Pohutukawa trees and other greenery, benches and stone wall that separates the beach from the pavement. Across the road are some great cafes where you can purchase Allpress coffee, takeaway anything to sit and ponder while looking out to Rangitoto Island. You can swim, sunbathe, sit, read, eat ice cream - enjoy the scenery. Be aware of the seagulls and other birds, they like to enjoy your cafe food, as much as you do! There are lime scooters available to hire also. Parking is plentiful and free. Yelp! Yelp!

Ah, Kohi beach. The…read morenext beach along from teeming Mission Bay, Kohi provides a welcome departure from the throngs of crowds, and a bit of peace and quiet. Granted, there aren't nearly as many shops & cafes around (Kohi beach cafe/the Store are really the only beachfront options), but as long as there's nice coffee and/or ice cream available, I'm set :) A bit of local flair: Thursday nights during summer, Kohi beach transforms into a swimmer's haven, with casual swim races and prize giving starting at 6PM. Fun to participate in (can sign up on the day) or attend to cheer on your friends! Pro-tip: Kohi's also an ideal spot for kitesurfing on a windy day, if you're into that sorta thing.

If you are keen for a good workout before going for a dip then this is perfect. Karaka Bay is found…read morearound the winding Riddell Road, down Peacock St. You will find yourself lucky to manoeuvre into a tight spot on the slope that is the car park. Sometimes it is better to park on Riddell Road and just embrace the walk down, as there is an even harder trek to come anyway. Once you make your way down the snaking track, legs burning, Karaka Bay beach can be found. High tide with a Westerly breeze, or none at all, will ensure perfect swimming conditions. For the non-swimmers, it is a beautiful picnic spot - a good location would be under the hanging Pohutakawa tree at the right hand end of the beach.

It may bit a bit of a mission to get to but it's 100% worth it - an absolute hidden gem!…read more You access the beach via a steep track off Peacock St. Make sure you take everything you need because you won't want to be heading back up there in a hurry. Perfect for a picnic under the trees with friends or a somewhat secluded date!

Being one of the first beaches as you come round the bay's on Tamaki Drive it's a perfect place to…read morestop for a break . Lots of shady pohutukawas and a very large and clean public toilet , which is kinda reminiscent to when ladies wore full length bathing suits and needed a horse drawn bathing cabana option . With Working BBQs I've seen plenty of people cooking up a feed here . This beach has no rubbish bins so be sure to take all waste home with you . Seems like a great place to learn the art of stand up paddle boarding as well with a hire place just to the left on the corner . Great beach for anytime but much nicer at high tide .

This secluded beach has white sand, clear water and is an absolute favourite amongst locals. Walk…read morealong the coast from the larger, more populated Takapuna Beach past historic scoria reefs and petrified log holes and within 15 minutes you will find yourself at this hidden haven. Don't forget to pick up a coffee or an award winning liquorice ice cream from Takapuna Beach Cafe before you start. Fun Fact: If you are walking your dogs during low tide be sure to let them have a dip or drink in the fresh water rock pool towards the Southern end of the beach. The water trickles down from Lake Pupuke and the dogs just love it!

Thorne Bay is simply amazing. Forget the busy main beach at Takapuna, if it is seclusion you are…read moreafter then take the time to find your way to this beautiful bay. You can access Thorne Bay via Minnehaha Avenue, then there is a bit of a walk across some rock pools but the trek is worth it. Thorne Bay has white sand with lots of tiny pretty shells and if possible grab yourself a spot under one of the trees for some shade. When I went I was surprised at how far the tide came up, so if possible pick a time when it is low. The bay is also very rocky and so that combined with the tide means it isn't child friendly, which is nice because there aren't a lot of kids there. I had a beautiful time when I went early this year. Yes the weather was great too but just being in this small paradise you feel like you're not even in Auckland. If you haven't been you must go, you won't want to go to a mainstream beach again.

St Helier's Bay Beach is just like Mission Bay Beach, but with heaps fewer posers. So if you'd…read morerather sunbathe, stroll, or swim without feeling like you're in a meat market, keep driving a little further around from Mission Bay and you'll arrive in the beautiful St Helier's Bay. If you can, get a spot under the massive trees that line the road just before the shops, otherwise be prepared for a ten minute stand down while you ventilate the car and wait for it to reach an air temperature cool enough for human habitation. There are plenty of shops handy to St Helier's Bay Beach, including some of the nicest cafes and restaurants in Auckland, plus there's a wee supermarket and a couple of great bakeries, so it's easy to make a day of it without dragging a picnic along.

If you're going here for a swim, you'd better either a) make sure it's high tide, or b) be prepared…read morefor a long slog out to water you can actually swim in. And it is a slog, because after the mudflats you walk (read: squelch) along on top of something that I would describe as "sea grass" but obviously isn't a real thing. Anyway, it takes ages. So, go at high tide. Way better. That aside, it's a lovely beach. Great view out to Rangitoto, near to the shops, less busy than Mission Bay around the corner. The low tide aspect is even good if you're taking young kids. (Or if you like squelching.) It's overall a very pleasant place to be if you want to hit up the seaside without having to go too far from home. Auckland's good like that.

do NOT go to this beach. my whole family got bit by something and gave them red itchy bites just by…read moregoing in the water. Also we saw plenty of poisonous jellyfish which could've sent my babies to the hospital

Narrow Neck Beach is simply the most beautiful beach in Auckland !…read moreNear Devo, this beach is very large and quiet. Here, you will find clear water, fine sand not forgetting a wonderful view. But the photographs will talk better about it than a long explanation. Just the perfect place to go and relax after a working day.

Great spot to go for a stroll with the pup. Judges Bay backs onto the gorgeous Parnell rose gardens…read moreso plenty of space for an off lead run around. It's definitely not your typical bay with a beach (or any sort of for shore for that matter) but there is a small stretch of sand. Don't know if you'd catch me swimming there though...

I've always taken notice of this little inlet on the way back from Mission Bay along Tamaki Drive,…read morebut have always wondered a) what it was called, (b) how you accessed it and (c) if it was swimmable. Answer to (a) is Judges Bay, (b) the easiest option for access is to hit Judges Bay Road in Parnell or you can wander down through Dove Meyer Robinson Park and (c) I would say by the amount of people I have seen here on different occasions that yes it is swimmable. It even has its own pontoon and jetty. Now that's swimmable! Because its cut off from the the ocean itself by the road and bordered on both sides by developments it does feel like a little hideaway. I'm super duper glad I discovered it!

If you want to go swimming then check the tides before you come. Unless you like walking for an…read moreeternity and still find yourself in ankle deep water and then you get bored and turn back to the beach before you even get to go swimming. But at high tide it's a winner. A beautiful bay to lounge about on the sand or on the grass under a tree. There are sporadically placed benches too. At the far right-hand end (if you're facing the sea) there's a bit of a grassy park area with more shady trees and picnic tables and public toilets. Among the fancy waterfront houses you'll be able to find the usual beach favourites: an icecream, fish and chips, a cup of coffee. A couple of places to dine for a romantic evening if that's what's on the agenda. A great beach for kids (especially at low tide!) and families and pretty much everyone.

A beautiful beach you'd love to see out your window in the morning. Some people have that…read moreprivilege, but for us less fortunate folk, there's a mound of grass to sit on and watch the sunset or sunrise. Quiet during the cooler months, it's a good spot to take a windy, secluded walk and pop into a nearby cafe afterwards for a cuppa. (a romantic gesture for your sweetheart) Though not a big beach, and riddled with shells, which is characteristic of East Auckland beaches, it's a breath of fresh air in the middle of suburbia. During summer, it's a popular spot to meet and go for a dip in the sea.

Looking for a quiet place to be alone, while listening to the subtle swoosh of winter waves? Then…read morewalk to the end of Herne Bay road and descend down the steps into the calmness of this secluded beach. It is not grand in scale, but it does have beautiful sunset views of the west. There is a bench above the beach for picnics, as well as a restroom for public use. Surrounded by homes above this is surely a location where the locals come to visit. While not the most epic beach in Auckland, it holds its own and would be a great place to come for a short stroll along the water.

Having decided to try visiting this bird sanctuary on a lark (thanks folks, I'll be here all…read morenight), I was impressed enough with it. One visits by boat either from downtown Auckland (which I imagine is a scenic ride) or from a more remote peninsula near the island where the boat stops just before reaching it (which is nice if you want somewhere free to park for the day). The boat ride is most of the cost; for a small additional fee you get a guided tour lead by one of a remarkably large number of local volunteers. Why not? The guide leads you through the middle of the island with some narration, before finishing at a lighthouse and leaving you the second half of the day to roam alone. There weren't that many visible birds during New Zealand "winter"; you'd here more than you see. The island was once a farm before being purposefully replanted as a forest. Things grow fast here; it looks quite wild. Up to the point of reaching the light house, I'd probably have written a four star review. However, they buried the lead. Exploring alone yielded vast panoramic views of the entire region. The island is centrally located between the city and a variety of other islands. New Zealand's indigenous people are of Polynesian descent, and while you walk around here you might confuse the volcanic landscapes, abundant greenery, and clear turquoise water for a more archetypically Polynesian vacation spot. There are a few swimmable spots. It is a big enough island that there were significant areas of track that I did not see even after hustling around the coastline. Always leave 'em wanting more, the saying goes. If I had occasion to, I wouldn't mine going again, which having paid $60 to see an island that had no trees at the time I was born is something. Tips: *There were a ton of local schoolkids, but the guides kindly separated out kids and adults for the tour, and once you're off the boat, it really isn't an issue. *Adults get free tea and coffee at the end of the tour, but no food. There is literally nothing even to buy. Bring decent food. *A truck loads any bags you might want to leave at the wharf, and carries them to the lighthouse and back, meaning you do not need to carry what you bring while walking the island. *They are very concerned about biosecurity, so wear clean shoes and bring only closed, zippable bags. *Apparently the name means that it's a really windy island. Which it really is. Be ready for wild temperature differences based on wind and shade.

Seriously one of Auckland's greatest outdoor treasures. This pest-free island is a magical place…read morethat harkens back to the days before massive deforestation for farming, hunting, and introduction of pests shrank the population of New Zealand's birds. The bird songs you'll hear here are incredible! Amazing work has been done to reforest native plants and trees, and reintroduce rare birds on this island. You can see hihi (stitchbirds), saddlebacks, kakariki (red crowned parakeets), bellbirds, north island robin, heaps and heaps of tui, wood pigeon, little blue penguins, kokako (if you're lucky) and of course, my favorite - the takahē (a population of less than 300 exist in the world, and this is one of the few places you can see them in the wild - plus BABIES!) So worth paying the $70 to take the ferry out there. Pack your lunch and your sunscreen, bring your swimsuit and good hiking shoes, and get ready for an amazing day. The extra $5 for the guided tour is worth doing at least once. The guides are very knowledgable and will point out the birds and interesting plants and give you a history of the island. However, when we went the second time without the group, we saw heaps more birds, I think as we were separate from many of the larger (noisier) groups. I'm dying to stay overnight at the DOC hut and try to spot a kiwi! The huts are booked well in advance so you're gonna have to troll the website for an opening. Also be sure to book your trip well in advance as the ferry can book up during peak season, and you don't want to miss out!!