Karaka Bay

We took the tandem to Karaka Bay beach in Glendowie, following a recommendation from the Brazilian waitress in the Italian restaurant that Frank and Monique went to…

It’s a hidden gem, only a mile or two from some other beaches we’ve been to, but completely secluded.

By the time you get to the end of the steep cul-de-sac road, it already feels like you’ve left the city behind.

We passed this very modest monument to the Auckland area signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and kept going down the zigzag path.

There’s Rangitoto in the distance… been there! I didn’t get a good shot of the long narrow beach, but it was very scenic. There were a couple of family groups and a handful of sunbathers. I also didn’t get any pics of the dozen or so houses nestled between beach and bluff, but they were jealousy-inspiring.

We walked all the way to the end of the beach, found some pretty sea glass and pebbles, and then our beachcombing was rewarded with an old-style 20c piece, very fun. This coin is a 1974, and they changed the coin to a different style in 2006, so I’d not seen one like this before. I first hoped it was a doubloon, or at least a lot older, but even so it was a fun way to end our little outing.