Hike Okura Bush Walkway, New Zealand

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The Okura Bush Walkway runs between Okura and Stillwater in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. This track takes you through regenerating coastal kauri forest along the Okura River and edge of the Long Bay (Okura Marine Reserve) to Karepiro Bay and historic Dacre Cottage, and on to Stillwater. From Haighs Rd the track follows the Okura River estuary through mixed coastal forest, with groves of nikau, pohutukawa and regenerating kauri. After a 20 min hill climb the track drops down to the rivers edge where you may see a variety of wading birds such as stilts and oystercatchers. It then climbs to a headland before dropping quite steeply to Karepiro Bay, where the restored historic Dacre Cottage is located at the northern end. Dacre Cottage was built in the 1850s by Henry Dacre, son of the retired sea captain Ranulf Dacre, who bought the Weiti block in 1848. If heading to Stillwater, you can follow the coastline at low tide, or take the overland track, climbing steeply above the coastal cliffs, with good views of Karepiro Bay and the Hauraki Gulf, before dropping back to the Weiti River estuary. From here the track follows the river, crossing private land to the Stillwater car park. The southern entrance at Okura is accessed from Haighs Access Rd, off East Coast Rd. The northern entrance at Stillwater can be accessed from Duck Creek Rd, off Spur Rd which runs off East Coast Rd. Haighs Access Rd to Dacre Cottage is 4.8 km, 1.5 hr one way. Haighs Access Rd to Stillwater is 8 km, 3 hr one way.

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