Pipiroa Bay to Aucks Road

From a picnic area beside Pipiroa Bay the track crosses a wetland on a board-walk before ascending at first gently up a stream valley and ending with a steep stepped climb to a parking area on Aucks Road.

Location, Grade and Duration

Reach Pipiroa Bay by taking the Pipiroa Bay Road turnoff north from Aucks Road at the ridge above the ferry ramp and then fork right to drop down to the beach. From the car park a board walk eastwards away from the beach commences the track.)

The track is gentle at first but towards the end is a steep climb with many steps up the head of the valley to Aucks Road on the ridge line.

The track is about a kilometre long and takes about half an hour in the uphill direction. A more gentle exercise is to combine a walk along Pipiroa beach with a walk up the track to the point where it begins to climb steeply and then return.

Alternatively, from the southern end of the Aucks Road parking area take the track entrance pictured here to walk back downhill to Pipiroa Beach.

Restrictions

Dogs are permitted on leads only on the track. The beach itself is not restricted.

Be sure to take the left turn-off shown here and marked with a red triangle.

There are no facilities at Okiato or Pipiroa Bay and no shops. The nearest are at Opua (across on the ferry) or at Russell.

Interests

Swimming, fishing, sightseeing, walking, photography.

Beach, mangrove trees, wetlands, regenerating bush, streams, forest.

History

The land at Okiato passed from Maori to Pakeha ownership in 1830 during the tribal wars. The owners needed arms and ammunition to carry on the war–and the land was of no value to them. James Reddy Clendon, from Kent, was the first owner, and he built a store, boat shed, jetty and workshops on the sheltered northern side of the point. By 1837 he had worked up an excellent trade with overseas shipping. In 1839 he became the United States Consul for NZ.

The following year (1840) Captain Hobson asked Clendon to act as a Justice of the Peace, but he found he was unable to act in both roles. He resigned as Consult and at the same time moved away from Okiato.

Down James Clendon Place you will find a reserve which marks the site of New Zealand's first capital. It was here in 1840 that Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson established ‘Russell’, in honour of British Colonial Secretary Lord John Russell. Through safety fencing you can see the original well. After deciding that this should be the capital, there were moves afoot to move it to Kororareka, and so a name change meant the whole peninsula was named ‘Russell’. Soon though it was decided that Auckland was a more appropriate place, so as Kororareka grew it took the name of ‘Russell’, and Okiato became ‘Old Russell’ and gradually reverted to its Maori name.