Bethells Beach, or Te Henga, is a gorgeous stretch of black sand on Auckland’s West Coast – perfect for blowing away the cobwebs. But make sure you don’t miss the beautiful lake and fantastic bush walk, tucked away behind the black sand dunes.
Striding off along the dunes
It was a sunny Monday on a long weekend, and we wanted a little adventure. 40 minutes’ drive from central Auckland on the wild west coast, Bethells Beach / Te Henga seemed the ideal place. Then I read about a hidden lake behind the dunes, and I was sold!
After squeezing into car-parks along the grassy roadside, we turned away from the beach and headed inland. Straight away, we began hiking on the west coast’s famous volcanic black sands. And of course, when you find a sand dune there’s only one thing to do – haul yourself up so you can fly down!
Paul and Joe taking on the challenge of the dune
Seagulls in flight!
We weren’t exactly sure which direction to point ourselves to discover the lake, so headed to the back left of the ginormous dune. Pro tip: you’re heading for the back right – but hey, it’s only an extra ten or so minutes if you take our scenic route!
Loved the contrast between these beautiful grassy greens and the black sands
Once we’d pointed ourselves in the right direction, we headed along the slope line of the dune towards the beginning of the stream, where Lake Wainamu awaited us.
One of the largest lakes in the Auckland Region, Lake Wainamu sits serenely behind the dune, flanked by bush and farmland. The path around it is easy enough to find – just head to where the trees meet the dunes on the right-hand side.
Couldn’t resist a pose at this perfect spot to admire the view
I had also read about the beautiful Wainamu Falls… there’d clearly not been much rain recently as we were a tad underwhelmed…
Fortunately the beauty of the lake and its setting more than made up for a lacklustre waterfall experience!
As it was early June, we couldn’t quite be persuaded for a dip, but I imagine the lake would be amazingly refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
Can you spot the sea?
Of course, having come all this way, we couldn’t miss Bethells Beach itself. The walk around Lake Wainamu had taken a couple of hours at our chill pace, so rather than striking out for the cliffs in the distance, we just meandered down to the beach and headed right across the (freezing) stream to watch the waves.
Paul being the gentleman that he is
Bethells Beach and Lake Wainamu were the perfect exploration – and I’ll be back in summer to take that dip!
Have you visited Bethells, and the hidden lake?
For more of my favourite Auckland day trips, click here!
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And for all my fellow grammar nerds – no, there is no apostrophe in Bethells Beach (even if there should be!)
