Last updated November 2026
The Kauri Mountain Track is a hill walk at Whangārei Heads, about 20 km from Whangārei, that crosses from Harambee Road at Taiharuru over Kauri Mountain to Kauri Mountain Road on the Ocean Beach side. It is a section of Te Araroa, the national walking trail, and Whangārei District Council includes it in its Whangārei Heads walks guide.
The council guide gives it as 2.4 km one way, taking 1–2 hours one way, with a medium grade. The route climbs a long driveway past private homes, crosses pasture to the trig, then drops through bush on the southern side. Dogs are not allowed on the track or on the beach below it.
Practical Information
- Start
- The car park on Kauri Mountain Road, or the small car park by the letterboxes on Harambee Road, Taiharuru
- Distance from the city
- About 20 km from Whangārei
- Track length
- 2.4 km one way (council guide); Te Araroa’s trail notes give 3.2 km
- Walking time
- 1–2 hours one way (council guide); Te Araroa allows 1.5 hours
- Grade
- Medium
- Dogs
- No dogs on the track or the beach
- Markers
- Orange Te Araroa markers
- Part of
- Te Araroa, Northland section
- Managed by
- A section of Te Araroa; listed in Whangārei District Council’s Whangārei Heads walks guide
- Status
- Check Te Araroa’s alerts and trail status page and Whangārei District Council’s Whangārei Heads walks page before you go.
About Kauri Mountain Track
This is the short climb that links the Taiharuru estuary to the Ocean Beach side of Whangārei Heads. The council guide sums it up as part of the Te Araroa Trail, with beach views and native bush along the way, and it describes the walk from the Taiharuru end: follow Harambee Road to its end, climb the hill to the trig station, then take the path down the hill to the Kauri Mountain Road car park.
Te Araroa’s Northland trail notes fill in the detail. The track begins by winding up a long driveway past private homes, where sheep sometimes graze.
Near the top of the driveway, orange markers lead over a stile and up through pasture, then into regenerating bush on the way to the trig. From the top, an orange-marked bush track runs down the southern side of the hill to Kauri Mountain Road.
The two official sources give slightly different figures. The council guide lists 2.4 km and 1–2 hours one way, while Te Araroa’s notes give 3.2 km and 1.5 hours.
Either way, it is a climb and descent rather than a level stroll, and the council grades it medium. Times and distances in the council guide are approximate, so allow for your own pace.
Because it is a one-way route, plan how you will get back. The council suggests walking it as a return trip or leaving a car at each end. It suits walkers who are comfortable with a hill, farm stiles and a bush descent, and Te Araroa walkers heading south will cross it as one short stage of a much longer journey.
Private Homes, Stiles and Gates
The track starts by winding up a long driveway past private homes, so keep to the route and follow the orange markers the whole way. Te Araroa’s notes ask walkers to use the stiles provided and to leave gates as they find them, as sheep sometimes graze the driveway.
Whangārei District Council’s guide also asks walkers to stay on the tracks and follow any cleaning station instructions to help protect kauri from dieback disease.
Getting There
From the Taiharuru end
Harambee Road runs off Taiharuru Road. Te Araroa’s notes place the small parking area about 1 km up Harambee Road, and the council guide puts it by the letterboxes. From there you follow the road to its end, where the driveway climb begins.
From the Kauri Mountain Road end
The council guide names a designated car park on Kauri Mountain Road as the other access point. The track comes down the southern side of the hill to this road, so starting here means climbing through the bush first and coming down over the pasture.
On Te Araroa: Before and After Kauri Mountain
For walkers following Te Araroa, the Kauri Mountain Track sits between two coastal stages. Before it comes the Taiharuru Estuary Route from Pātaua, which Te Araroa lists as 6.4 km and 2 hours and which needs a low tide.
After it, the trail follows gravel Kauri Mountain Road for about 2 km to a farm gate marked with the Te Araroa logo and crosses a paddock to Ocean Beach, where the Ocean Beach Walk (7 km, 3 hours) heads south towards the Te Whara Track.
The council guide describes Kauri Mountain Beach as a rugged, isolated beach about 6 km long between Ocean Beach and Taiharuru, reached through a marked gate on Kauri Mountain Road. For the Ocean Beach stage, Te Araroa’s notes describe a wildlife sanctuary, ask walkers to avoid dune nesting sites and say no dogs are allowed.
From locals
How much shade is there on a hot day, or is most of it exposed?
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Kauri Mountain Track?
Whangārei District Council’s guide gives 2.4 km one way, taking 1–2 hours. Te Araroa’s trail notes give 3.2 km and 1.5 hours.
How hard is the Kauri Mountain Track?
The council grades it medium. It climbs a driveway and pasture to the trig, then descends a bush track on the southern side.
Where does the Kauri Mountain Track start?
You can start at the designated car park on Kauri Mountain Road, or at the small car park by the letterboxes on Harambee Road, Taiharuru.
Is it a loop?
No. It is a one-way route, so walk back the same way or leave a car at each end.
Can I take my dog?
No. The council guide says no dogs on either the track or the beach.
Does the track pass private homes?
The track starts up a long driveway past private homes. Follow the orange markers, use the stiles and leave gates as you find them, as sheep sometimes graze the driveway.
Is the Kauri Mountain Track part of Te Araroa?
Yes. It is a section of Te Araroa in Northland, between the Taiharuru Estuary Route and the Ocean Beach Walk.
Is the track open?
Check Te Araroa’s alerts and trail status page and Whangārei District Council’s Whangārei Heads walks page before you go.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Related links 3
- Whangārei District Council (WhangareiNZ): Whangārei Heads walks: the council’s guide to Whangārei Heads walks, with the Kauri Mountain Track’s length, time, grade, access and dog rules.
- Te Araroa: Notes and maps: trail notes by region; the Northland notes cover the Taiharuru Estuary Route, Kauri Mountain Track and Ocean Beach Walk.
- Te Araroa: Alerts and trail status: current closures and detours on the trail, to check before you go.