Little Oneroa to Palm Beach walk

Introduction | Walkway guide and map | Additional information

Beach care dune plantings

Walkway guide and map

Guide yourself around the track.

Backyards, beaches and barbecues! This average fitness, 1.5 hour walk follows the magnificent northern coastline on Waiheke Island. Starting at Little Oneroa Beach and finishing at Palm Beach, there is a regular (usually at quarter past the hour, every hour) public bus service. Don't forget your fishing gear, togs and sausages for the free public barbecues!

From Little Oneroa Beach follow the coastal track south through Newton Road Reserve up to Newton Road. Walk up Queens Drive, turn left down Watters Glen Reserve continuing to follow the coastline tracks to Sandy Bay. Follow the road to Enclosure Bay, turn right down Empire Avenue and up through McKenzie Reserve to Coromandel Road. Turn left on to Hauraki Road continuing down Cory Road to Palm Beach Lookout and Little Palm and Palm Beaches. At Palm Beach, there are several bus stops along Palm Road.

The information below corresponds with the numbers on the map and tells you about each of these places.

1	Waihekians are spoilt with amazing secluded beaches, reserves and stunning views right on their back doorstep! If you are visiting ... welcome! If you are a local, come and explore what's available so close to home. We will explore over seven north-facing beaches and several inspiring community projects.
2	St Peters Catholic Church proudly sits between Littlle Oneroa and Oneroa Beaches. Orca (Killer Whales) frequent this bay in search of stingray!
3	Each bamboo stake with a yellow ribbon represents a native tree that has been planted over the past 4 years by the Guardians of Newton Reserve.
4	The Hekerua Bay community is very unique as they do not have road access to their houses. Te Aroha Ave walkway was additionally named "Don's track" in recognition of the work of the late Don Chapple, conservationist extraordinaire who lived on this track and inspired several Waiheke conservation projects.
5	Enclosure is a safe bay for swimming. Beyond the bay, the coast is teaming with marine life: stingrays, blue penguin, squid and fish for dinner.
6	This looks like a bit of a warzone but the Friends of the McKenzie Reserve are well on their way to transforming this aged pine forest into a botanic showcase reserve. Designed by the late Don Chapple, over 7,500 trees have been planted with new tracks and a peaceful "glade" is being created. Watch this space as the makeover continues.
7	From Palm Beach lookout you can see Nani Island, Matapana Bay and Thompsons Point. Little Barrier, Great Barrier and the Coromandel can be seen on the horizon and the next land you reach beyond that is Chile, South America.
8	In 1978 the 'hippie' county council tried to legislate Little Palm Beach as the official nudist beach on Waiheke. It created a national uproar at the time.
9	Palm Beach (Mawhitipana). The Coastal care group has worked hard establishing dune plantings. The native grass Pingao (green with yellow points) and Spinifex (green with grey points) have been planted to stabilize the dunes.
If you want to be involved in any of these community projects please contact Gary Wilton (Parks Officer for Hauraki Gulf Islands) Ph: 09 379 5923.

You can download the maps of the walk and the island in PDF format below:

To view PDFs download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website. Further help on how to view PDFs.

Published March 2009