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.

St Heliers is slightly more peaceful than the Mish and is less crowded with teenagers and tourists…read morewhich is fine by me. Call me selfish but I do get a bit sick of sharing sometimes in Auckland - I remember when there was more than enough room for everyone and I can't help but miss that. The restaurants here are great and fish and chips will never taste better than if you buy them from The Fishmonger across the road and eat them on the beach. In fact that applies to most of the food places on this strip - while you can eat in if you want, why wouldn't you make it a picnic? Summertime is made of this and I only wish I lived close by.

This beach is rather short with not too much beach at high tide but it does has two saving graces;…read more 1) There is a great little park and playground at the south-eastern end complete with loos and an outdoor showers (of course!) 2) At the Northern end you can walk right the way round the rocks to Murrays Bay. It takes about 40mins and is a brilliant walk to do with four legged friends. TIP: Stop in at Paper Moon Cafe in Mairangi for a coffee or even better some Kapiti Icecream - delish!

A small though wide beach that looks across the ocean onto Rangitoto and has beach front property…read moreon the other side. You can access it from Huntly Road where there are public bathrooms and a cute playground for the kids. There are a few parks and not too far away a man-made wooden bridge that leads onto blue-y boulders and stone lined sand walkway down to the beach. At the end of the beach begins the concrete/stone walkway that goes onto Mairangi and Murray Bay. Lovely neat little beach

On the first day of our trip, we had just flown into Auckland the night before, and wanted to check…read moresomething off our bucket list right away. Going to a black sand beach ended up being super simple as this beach is located in Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and is only a 45 minutes drive from Auckland. What could be easier? The drive is beautiful and it was a straightforward find with the assistance of google maps.They have a nice visitor's parking area with well maintained toilets, information on hiking and local activities, and even a picnic area. The walk out to the beach was short and we enjoyed a rewarding coastline and soft smooth sand. We were there during the end of winter, so it was still pretty cold and windy but no less beautiful. It is a dog friendly spot and a lot of people were out flying kites and walking their furry buddies. It's a great location to spend a few hours or the better part of a day; and if you're traveling from a country where black sand beaches don't exist, it's an easy check off that must see list.

Beautiful rugged beach out West. I had my first visit here today; plenty of other people were also…read moreenjoying the sunny, summer public holiday. Families with their kites, pet dogs, a few surfers and one handful of people (adults and children) were having a model boat race down the water inlet - great idea! Looked like lots of fun! There were lifeguards on duty and they had flags set up to swim in between. Although I didn't see many people out in the water. All the West coast beaches are infamous for their tough swimming conditions. The beach has a nice long stretch of sand, gorgeous views and fresh, beautiful air. What more could you want?

Ladies Bay is a lovely little beach below the clifftop at St Heliers and an interesting place. Long…read moreknown as a nudist beach, it has unfortunately become infamous in recent years for all the wrong reasons. Now I'm not a nudist myself (not in public anyway) but I have nothing against those who like to feel the wind in their, erm, hairs? Just don't get me started on the great mystery of why anyone would be wanting to maximise sun exposure rather than minimise it. The problem is there's always a couple of perverts who let the side down and stories of gross inappropriateness at Ladies Bay abound. It's not officially designated as a nudist beach by Auckland City Council and I will never forget a primary school trip to Ladies Bay - clearly the school was not in the know and while there were only a few quiet older folk using the beach that day, we learned about a lot more than just the sealife in the shallow pools. Those poor teachers! It's a shame really because this is a beautiful quiet beach but I wouldn't take my kids there now due to the unknown element whereas in the 80s and 90s families were happily enjoying it with their togs on alongside those without. Progress huh.

The beach is a short walk from the parking lot. The black sand gets hot in summer so it is a…read moredifficult walk. Good place in Auckland for kids

I like Bethells Beach! It is a very cool place, it takes a bit of a drive to get to, especially if…read moreyou are coming from across town, but it is well worth it. It is great how they have the mobile cafe on the beach next to all the sand dunes, just what you feel like after you have been in the water. Plus it has such a chilled out vibe, all types go there, families, couples, old, young, all are welcome! I hold it on the list of "to do's" for all overseas guests, if you can, make time to spare for this hotspot. It is a popular beach too, so don't expect to have yourself a little hideaway, despite the driving distance from town. It also has a good reputation that stretches across the Tasman - I had heard about Bethells in Australia before I even moved here. It also goes by its original name "Te Henga'.

Stunning black sand beach on the West Coast of the North Island - and fun fact: the sand is…read moremagnetic!! The deeply rich sand has a very high iron content and came from the eruption of Taupo eons ago - it makes for quite a beautiful contrast against the vibrant green jungles and minty blue waters of the Tasman Sea. Piha is one of the most famous beaches in NZ - with tourists, locals, and surfers alike. It was the birthplace of board riding in NZ back in the 50s and continues to be packed with surfers daily - catching waves as they bounce off Lion Rock - the giant volcanic monolith that looms over the beach. Apparently the currents can be strong and dangerous though - I think there are certain times of year where swimming is more appropriate and lifeguards more available on site (summer I think?). But there's still plenty to do outside of the water. There are nice hiking trails all through the surrounding jungle where the bird watching is fantastic and the beach was full of lovely colorful shells. It's a day trip from Auckland which has you passing through the amazing Waitakere Ranges - so definitely a heaven for hikers and nature enthusiasts. The beach had quite a few sunbathers laying on their towels but that sand gets super hot in the sun - I dunno how they could stand it lol. The beach has toilets and changing rooms and plenty of parking. The roads are winding, narrow and steep on the way in - I'm sure they're no problem for the locals but being from the US I was too scared to drive them since they drive on the left here - we came on a day tour with Bush & Beach and it was perfect (highly recommend)!

I've been to Piha a few times and it's always stunning. It does tend to get windy so make sure to…read morecheck the weather before heading out there. Also make sure to get gas before heading out as there are no gas stations anywhere in Piha The beach is great, the black sand is soft and fine and fabulous. My favourite thing to do is bring a big cozy towel, a picnic full of wraps and veggies, and relax on the beach for a few hours with my boyfriend and have a good chat or just read a good book. The best thing to do is stay for the sunset (see photos). There are bathrooms on the beach but no shower (that I saw). The waves are big and great for surfing, but not so great for swimming. If you're a surfer you'd love this beach - or you can sign up for surfing lessons!

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!

My aunty and uncle just live up the road from Hatfields Beach so we have spent many a Christmas Day…read moreplaying cricket on the beach, swimming, fishing and enjoying the Kiwi Lifestyle at its finest. This beach is so nice and safe, great if the surf at Orewa and Red Beach is too much for young families. There's always a boat out in the water and kids running along with skim boards. It's also a good stop if you're on a journey up north and need somewhere to have lunch or just to have a stretch and get some fresh air. With it being only a mere forty minutes from town you could even go up there for dinner during daylight savings. The road isn't as busy now that the new motorway has gone through but I'd still make sure you keep an eye out when you're turning, as there are a few blind corners.