Titirangi calls itself the gateway to the Waitākere Ranges, and it fits the role: a bohemian village of artists, writers and bush-clad houses, built on steep slopes above the Manukau Harbour, where the suburbs of Auckland end and the native forest begins. The finish is a few kilometres from the village, on the harbour side towards Lynfield and Blockhouse Bay, and it serves as a calm finish for long rides back from Northland.
The painter Colin McCahon, often considered New Zealand's greatest artist, lived and worked in a small house in French Bay, below Titirangi, in the 1950s, and the house is now a museum with a residency for artists. The village has galleries, cafés and the Lopdell arts centre, and a relaxed, slightly eccentric atmosphere.
From Titirangi, Scenic Drive runs along the crest of the Waitākere Ranges, through dense native bush of tree ferns, nīkau palms and kauri, with views over the city and the harbour. The Arataki visitor centre, perched on the ridge, has a lookout and information about the forest. Many walking tracks in the ranges have been closed in recent years to protect the kauri trees from kauri dieback, a fatal disease spread through soil, so check which tracks are open and clean your boots at the stations.
Riding back to Auckland after the long road from the Bay of Islands, the last part of the day is likely to be on the motorway through the city, with heavy traffic. Once you reach the western suburbs, the roads become quieter. Scenic Drive itself is narrow, winding and often wet, with tight bends, cyclists and buses, and it demands concentration. The local shops in Titirangi and the surrounding suburbs have fuel, food and coffee. A late afternoon finish, with the sun dropping over the Manukau and the bush glowing gold, is a fine end to the trip.