Long Beach Walkway

Long Beach is a spectacularly beautiful and safe sandy swimming beach looking north east towards the main islands of the Bay of Islands with Cape Brett and the open entrance to the Bay in the far distance.

The Long Beach Walkway is the easiest pedestrian route from Russell town centre to the beach. Just beyond the camping ground on Long Beach Road the walkway branches left from the road and follows the valley floor through replanted native trees before climbing gently to the saddle of the hill beside the Russell cemetery and the intersection with Queens View Road. It then follows the road down the hill and ends above the north-western end of the beach.

From that point you can either take the high tide track to Waitata Bay or continue the short distance down the roadway to Long Beach itself.

Location, Grade and Duration

The walkway can be accessed from Wellington Street at the north end of Russell beach, The Strand, York, Church or Baker streets. The grade is moderate and the walk takes about 10 minutes each way. That can be extended by exploring Long Beach and Waitata Bay as desired.

There are alternate routes to go or return and they all require steeper climbs or descents. From Long Beach you can climb the Oneroa Road paper road and then continue back down Oneroa Road to the town. Behind the huge Morton Bay Fig tree towards the north-western end of Long Beach is a wide sealed access way and a short way up a path branches and follows above it on the right continuing up the hill and ending in another very steep driveway to join Oneroa Road proper at the top of the hill where it intersects with Queens View Road. This route is unsafe in slippery wet conditions.

A less demanding ascent is via the Long Beach Walkway to Queens View Road and then up that to Oneroa Road. Either way, there are great views in both directions from the top of that hill.

From the intersection of Oneroa Road and Gould Street you can descend directly to the centre of town via the Zigzag track or continue left along Gould Street and descend via Hazard Street and the Hazard Street track finishing beside the Fire Station on Baker Street or continuing through to Church Street.

Restrictions

The Oneroa Road paper road track is unsafe in slippery or wet conditions, especially the steep driveways at the top and bottom.

The Zigzag track is also reasonably strenuous and requires moderate fitness.

Apart from the Long Beach walkway route there are no footpaths on any of these roads so beware of traffic. There is no footpath at the end of the Long Beach walkway for about 50 metres down to the beach.

There are toilets at the north-western end of Long Beach.

Interests

At the bottom of Wellington Street are some historic old houses and the road then passes the Russell Top 10 Holiday Park. Just before reaching four pensioner cottages on the left the track diverges from the road to follow a wetland valley filled with native plants and birdlife up to the cemetery.

The charitable Duffus Memorial Trust built the pensioner cottages and Landcare Trust volunteers did the native planting along the walkway.

The alternative route up Chapel Street passes the Shrine of St Peter Chanel, built in 1960 replacing an earlier Catholic church on the hillside which burned down in 1892. Bishop Pompallier had bought the land in 1841. There is a small cemetery at the rear of the chapel. The shrine is inside the chapel and was erected in the memory of the Marist missionary who was martyred by natives in 1841. Zig-zag Track is a continuation of Chapel Street but impassable for cars. Russell's roads were planned in London ignorant of the steep terrain.

The steep descents at the ends of Oneroa Road to Long Beach and Brind Road to Matauwhi Bay also reduced to walking tracks when the road plans reached Russell.

The historic Russell cemetery at the top of the hill has lovely views in both directions and both old and new graves. The descent to Long Beach enjoys a wide vista of the Bay of Islands.

History

Russell Top Ten Holiday Park was the site of an army camp. During the 2nd World War terraces were cut into the hillside here. An enemy invasion was anticipated to come from the north, if indeed it did come.

Games of rugby were fiercely fought here last century before the holiday park grew trees on the field.

Long Beach Road snakes its way up the side of a valley. This was the route taken by the Waikare chief Kapotai when he came to support Hone Heke at the time the flagstaff was felled in 1845. The original road was on the other side of the valley, and was built by prisoners from Russell's jail.

Queen's View Road takes its name from 1963 when Queen Elizabeth II visited Russell and was driven to its junction with Oneroa Road to admire the spectacular view. A seat was placed here in her honour, so that others could stop to rest and enjoy the views over the south-eastern Bay of Islands.