Okura Bush Walkway

Time and distance:

Haigh Access Road entrance to Dacre Cottage 4.2 km / 1 hr

Haigh Access Road to Stillwater via Overland Track 7.6 km / 2 hr

Haigh Access Road to Stillwater via Low Tide Route 7.4 km / 1 hr 50 min

This track takes you through regenerating coastal kauri forest along the Okura River estuary 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.

Note: due to storm damage, a section of track between the sand spit and the staircase is very narrow - take care.

Getting there

The walkway runs between Okura and Stillwater. The southern entrance at Okura is accessed from Haigh Access Rd, off East Coast Rd and is 28 km from downtown Auckland.

The northern entrance at Stillwater can be accessed from Duck Creek Rd, off Spur Rd which runs off East Coast Rd. Stillwater is 35.5 km from downtown Auckland.