Cornwallis Beach

Cornwallis seems to be the beach you go to when you cant really be bothered driving all the way out to Piha or one of the other West Coast beaches. This seems kind of silly, as by the time you have driven out this far, you may as well keep on going.
However, Cornwallis has its own charms. If you walk down past the rocks you can get to Cornwallis wharf and do some bombs (try do these at full tide,) or if you bring a rod do a bit of fishing — this seems to be a pretty hot spot for catching the occasional kahawai.
There are also heaps of walks around, including one that goes up to the memorial on the hill which is so important it has trees cut out just so you can see it from the beach.

We went here during the summer in order to relive my husband’s golden memories of his youth but found it somewhat lacking. Only in New Zealand could you say that about a beach that looks this good but hey, we can’t help it, we’re spoilt for choice.
It’s roomy but busy and the shade provided by the overhanging pohutakawas is in hot (literally) demand. Like most of the beaches in this west coast chain, there’s a large grassed area as well if you don’t want to get down on the sand.
We squished in under a spot of shade, a little too close to another family but that was the only protected spot that was left. The kids climbed the tree a bit but the swimming was muddy, slimy and sludgy which was ok but didn’t engender repeated dips. I’d say try one of the more quiet ones further down the road.

We came to Cornwallis Beach every year for our primary school summer trip. It’s the perfect family beach because it’s big, the waves are tiny, there’s heaps of grass area and heaps of trees for shade. Bring a picnic, bring the dogs (on a lead) and make a day of it. There’s heaps of little beaches around Titirangi and Cornwallis is definitely the most popular, for a reason. The wharf at the other end of the main beach is popular with fisherman and kids (and adults) bombing off the side into the water at high tide. We used to go fishing here quite often, it’s pretty good at dusk. If you’re going for the beach make sure you check the tides otherwise it’s just sand and mud. The toilets aren’t the best, unless they’ve rebuilt them since the last time I was brave enough to go in there. There’s heaps of walks around too so make sure you check those out.

Cornwallis Wharf is quite a decent, long wharf out past Titirangi, in the Waitakere region. It is quite a long drive though from Auckland City Centre. This area is pretty good for fishing, or at least so I’m told. I’ll be honest I haven’t actually caught anything decent here in the two times that I’ve tried, BUT I have seen people who have. And one time I saw a big school of Kahawai swimming around the wharf, so there is definitely action here. The fact that I haven’t caught anything doesn’t necessarily say anything negative about the spot anyway. I probably just have bad luck, or crap technique when it comes to catching fish. Oh well I shall persist. Even if you don’t care much for fishing, this is a very nice place to relax and have a picnic.

Summer is my favourite season and I have a dream that one day it every day will be summer. I love summer because of the beach, I like to think of myself as a beach babe even though I don’t necessarily swim. I tend to do the Baywatch thing and walk in water and casually stroll along the beach.
After a recommendation from my father, I went to Cornawallis with my boyfriend for a picnic and a waddle in the water. The view was breathtaking and the beach itself was beautiful, the flowers and the trees had blossomed. We sat under one of the trees, opened a cider and munched on our food while the soft breeze tickled our skin. I loved it! You could enjoy the sun under the trees but still have some shade. We actually had a nap under the tree which was refreshing.