Big Manly Beach

Laurence Street, Whangaparaoa, Hibiscus Coast, Auckland
www.gowhangaparaoa.co.nz

Sheltered sandy beach with large grass areas with shade for picnics and barbeques.  There is a children's playground and changing rooms and toilets and lots of parking.

Browns Bay

Playground beside beach, nice calm water for the kids, and a grassy frontage for those that don't like to sit on sand.  Plenty of places nearby for lunch.
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Photo: Auckland Design Manual

Castor Bay

Good beach for the kids, and you can walk around the rocks at low tide.  There are pohutakawa trees for shade and a playground.

Cheltenham Beach

Vauxhaull Road, Devonport

Good sandy swimming beach with calm water for the kids and great views of Rangitoto.  The water level is quite low at low tide, which makes it ideal for families with younger kids. 

There is a little playground at one end of the beach. Dairies and a fish & chip shop are a short walk away.

Clarks Beach

Clarks Beach is a great swimming beach for the kids.  There is no surf, and it is safe for paddling.

Cornwallis Beach

Shallow calm beach which is good for little kids. Plenty of shade.

Great wharf for young and older kids to enjoy.

Karaka Bay

Karaka Bay, Glendowie

A sandy beach which is an ideal spot for a picnic, it can be accessed from the Point to Point Walkway, and at low tide you can walk along the silt and rock foreshore to the Glendowie Boating Club.
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Photo: Auckland Council

Kaitarakihi Bay, Manukau Harbour

A sandy beach located between Cornwallis and Huia which is good for swimming. The beach is accessed through a gate which closes at nightime.  
It is a short drive to Huia Beach Store & Cafe which has ice creams, coffee and fish and chips. 

Kelvin Strand Beach

Kelvin Crescent, Te Atatu Peninsula

Sandy beach, park with lots of grass to picnic and a children's playground.   Great views of Sky Tower and the Auckland Harbour Bridge. 

Go at hide tide if you want to swim or at low tide if you want to walk out to a sand bar.  You can also bring your kids bikes to ride along the Harbourview Walkway.

Mission Bay Beach

Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay

Popular Auckland beach with a sheltered sandy beach, grassy areas, an art deco fountain, public toilets,kids playground with cafe, restaurants and ice cream shops across the road.

Long Bay 

Long Bay has 1km of a sandy beach next to parkland.  Great playground, safe family swimming, toilets, changing rooms, shady picnic and barbeque areas. The kids can check out the rock pools at low tide.

Maraetai Beach

Great wharf for older kids and teens to jump off.

Murrays Bay

Great wharf for the older kids and teens to jump off

Narrow Neck Beach

Safe sandy beach for the kids.  There is a playground, large field, barbeque area and great views of Rangitoto.  There is also a cafe on the beach and a dairy close by.

Omana Regional Park

2 Beach Road, Maraetai
 regionalparks.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

There is a working farm, a Māori pā site, a campground, safe swimming at high tide and coastal picnic areas.

The Omana Children’s Playground reflects the Ngai Tai tribe’s connections to the area. The playground includes a whare (house) with slides, a small fireman’s pole, a rope walkway and a space net. There are also two carved rock sharks, taniwha bars, swing ropes, a see-saw and treasure-hunt carvings.
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Photo: Auckland Council

Piha Beach

Piha Road, Auckland

Piha has lots of grassy spots for picnics.  There is a lagoon that kids love to play in and a playground. The surf at the beach is rough, so you will need to be with your children and watch them closely if they go into the water. Lots of rock pools to explore at low tide.

Point Chevalier Beach

Sheltered beach which is safe for swimming, although you need to go when the tide is in. Great playground with a train, flying fox and climbing net.

Saint Heliers Beach

Tamaki Drive, St Heliers

St Heliers is less crowded than Mission Bay.  There are grassy areas, a playground, public toilets.  Cafes, ice cream shops and restaurants are across the road from the beach.

Snells Beach

Sunrise Boulevard, Snells Beach, Auckland

​The beach is flat and shallow for a long distance, plenty of rockpools making it perfect to take your toddlers too.  The pohutakawa trees are ideal for a shady picnic. There is also a fun playground right by the beach with basket swings, slides and more. Plus if you venture on a bit further you can visit the donkeys at Highfield Garden Reserve.

Waiake Beach

Safe and sheltered beach.