Why this ride
138 km one way from Mangere - plan on about 2 h 39 of riding. The climb of the day is near Papakura. Long stretches are under trees.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Waitākere Ranges and Piha · part 3
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 138 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 39
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Near Mangere
This stop looks out from the northern edge of the Manukau Harbour, the vast, shallow inlet that almost cuts Auckland in two, looking across the water to Māngere and its volcanic cone. Auckland is built on a field of some fifty small volcanoes, and you can see several of them from here: Māngere Mountain across the harbour, the terraced slopes of One Tree Hill to the north-east, and others dotted around the suburbs. Many were fortified pā sites in pre-European times, and their terraces and food storage pits are still visible on the grass.
Read the complete Near Mangere write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waitākere Ranges and Piha checkpoint 8 is where the day begins. Next is High point near Papakura.
2. High point near Papakura
East of Papakura, the land climbs into the Hunua Ranges, the largest stretch of native forest close to Auckland and the source of much of the city's drinking water. Reservoirs fill the valleys behind tall dams, and the forest around them, of tawa, kauri, rimu and tree ferns, is home to birds such as the kōkako, whose haunting song was once almost silenced and is now recovering thanks to pest control. The ranges are a regional park, laced with walking tracks.
Read the complete High point near Papakura write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Scenic stretch near Pakuranga.
3. Scenic stretch near Pakuranga
Planning note
about 73 km into the recorded legs you reach Scenic stretch near Pakuranga. Next is Back to Waitākere Ranges.
4. Murrays Bay
Murrays Bay is one of the East Coast Bays on Auckland's North Shore, a sheltered crescent of sand between rocky headlands, with a wharf, a sailing club and big pōhutukawa trees leaning over the beach. In December these trees burst into crimson flower, which is why New Zealanders call the pōhutukawa their Christmas tree. Out across the Hauraki Gulf, the symmetrical cone of Rangitoto Island, Auckland's youngest volcano, sits on the horizon, and on a calm morning the water is glassy and pale.
Read the complete Murrays Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back to Waitākere Ranges closes the day.
Leg by leg
High point near Papakura to Scenic stretch near Pakuranga
High point near Papakura → Scenic stretch near Pakuranga is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Pakuranga to Murrays Bay
Scenic stretch near Pakuranga → Murrays Bay is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.