Howick Beach

Howick Beach was a pleasant surprise for me after a long hot drive across town one summer day to visit a Howick friend. It was one of those humid Auckland days where it’s hard to do anything, so we went down to the beach to try and go for a swim and wake up a bit. We obviously hit it at high tide, as it was a pretty good place to go for a swim — I was expecting it to be a muddy shallow mess, but it wasn’t at all. It’s not a lovely golden sand beach, but it’s scenic enough and is a pretty good swimming spot if you’re in this part of town.

I have been to Howick Beach a few times, once during the evening and a few times during the afternoon. Parking there is a bit of a problem so people just end up parking on the grass causing a bit of havoc. But once you find a nice spot you can spread out your picnic rug and get to eating and lazing around. My favourite memories at Howick Beach are with a lot of friends, playing soccer and different games. We sipped on some ciders and then after a while ran into the water or some water sports or what we thought was water thoughts.

I have come down here a few times to walk my dog. The last time that I did I had an irate women march up to me and demand that I put my dog on a collar. My dog is a spaniel who stands less than a foot tall, he is 13 years old, and at the time which the women approached me he was dawdling at my feet wagging his little tail. This women’s anger seemed misplaced to me, but not really in the mood for an argument I politely explained to her that I would bring a lead next time. I think she lives just across the road from the beach and watches out for people committing wrong doings. So if you come down to Howick Beach make sure you are on your best behavior.

Howick Beach is rather tiny and better for chilling out than swimming, especially at low tide when getting to the water involves quite a serious treck.
It’s a kind of bitsy beach — half sand, half shells, there’s the odd swimmer, the odd boat being yanked out to sea on a tractor, some teenagers frollicking around under the trees, and kids leaping around on the cliff.
Compared to other little beaches around Auckland, there’s a fair bit of shade provided by trees along the narrow grassline, but bring your takeaways and coffees with you because there’s not a shop in sight.
And very much unlike other beaches in Auckland, you can usually get a park.

Howick Beach is a very small slice of Auckland’s large cluster of sea fronts, but still it has its charms. Scrambling over rock pools, collecting shells (Warning: the beach is laden with them! Avoid walking in bare feet), sitting on the grass up on the hill watching the calm waves, or hanging out in your car eating takeaways with nice scenery to look at. This is about as good as it gets, but I can imagine it’s a great place to bring kids as there normally isn’t much of a current to worry about.
This place gets packed out fast on a sunny day, so get in early!