Mercer Bay Loop Walk and Te Henga Walkway
One of the best hikes in Auckland is the Mercer Bay Loop walk, a 2.2km long loop that takes you across cliffs high above Auckland’s west coast beaches. Tucked away in New Zealand’s very own rainforest, the Waitakere Ranges, Mercer Bay track is the perfect hike for a bit of adventure needing a little bit of effort.
Mercer Bay Loop track sits directly between Karekare beach and Piha Beach, making it a great idea for a summer day trip if you’re wanting to do a bit of adventure hopping on Auckland’s west coast. Mercer track takes around 50 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace even with a few hills involved, but nothing too strenuous. Mercer Bay Loop is dog friendly as long as your pet hound is on a lead, and perfect for families young and old wanting a day out in nature.
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About Mercer Bay Loop track
Distance 2.2km
Time 50 minutes
Difficulty Easy (With a slight hill)
Maori History of Mercer Bay Loop Walk
The Mercer Bay loop walk is the location of one of the oldest west Auckland sites of a Pā (a Maori settlement). Excavations of this site have found piles of fish bones and tools used for fishing at the very top of Te Ahua point, which is the main cliff you will walk across to get to the main view point.
Maori legend states that Mercer Bay was once the location of great love and tragedy. Hinerangi was a young woman who lived here with her hapū (small tribe/clan) and her husband. Hinerangi’s husband was tragically swept off the rocks below the cliffs while fishing at Karekare. In the following days Hinerangi sat on the cliffs waiting for her husband’s return but eventually died of a broken heart. Hinerangis’ face is believed to be carved into the cliff face at the southern end of Mercer Bay Loop.
How to Get to Mercer Bay Loop Track
Driving to Mercer Bay from Auckland city takes around 45 minutes depending on traffic. The roads are windy and can be quite narrow at some points so caution is advised if you’re new to the area.
Travel towards Piha for 40 minutes and make a left turn down Te Ahu Ahu Road, it’s the first road after the Karekare beach and waterfall turnoff if you’re coming from there.
Follow Te Ahu Ahu road onto Log Race Road where you will eventually come to Mercer Bay car park. From here you can choose either of the two entrances to start your walk. Always make sure to scrub and spray your shoes before you enter and when you exit each trail in west Auckland. This is to help prevent the spread of a deadly disease killing off our native Kauri trees.
The northern entrance to Mercer Bay Loop walk starts with views across the ocean and small clearings where you can dip into the bush to get a cheeky photo of the view. But be extremely careful of your footing, there is only fencing along the main viewpoints on this track, the rest is just straight cliff falling 300 metres to the sea below.
Continue following the track and you will come across the first viewpoint which looks out across Te Ahua point. Make sure to take the time to read the information posts while there, it’s always pays to learn a couple of facts about a heritage site when you visit.
Click here for Google Map directions to Mercer Bay Loop
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Mercer Bay Loop Walk and Te Henga Walkway
Nestled in the Waitakere Ranges, sitting between Piha and Karekare on the west coast sits a 2.2km looped walk. Mercer Bay Loop is a popular bush walk which leads you along tops of cliffs high above Piha where you can follow a track to Karekare beach below. Part of the Hillary trail, Mercer Bay Loop gives you a taste of what the west coast can offer any keen adventurer. Mercer Bay supplies all the views and solitude with very little effort.
The dramatic cliffs with the wild sea battering the rocks below is the main selling point for why people visit so frequently. Looking out towards the horizon will have you thinking you have made an escape from the city, when really you’re a 10 minute drive from civilisation.
With an elevation of 226m this bush walk can be a great opportunity to get sweating if you have an average fitness level (like me). While the west coast cliffs getting battered by the Tasman sea will give chills you usually never experience on a bush walk. The vast horizon with no cityscape in sight gives you the feeling of being in a remote paradise.
The main view points at either cliff have railings which you SHOULD NOT climb over. No matter how cool the Instagram pic would be. Majority of Mercer Bay Loop is not guarded by any fencing; apply common sense and keep an eye on any children or animals.
Te Henga Walkway
Te Henga walkway is a popular hike for those who want to push themselves, the 10.3km point-to-point hike takes you from Bethells beach to the south of Muriwai beach or vice versa. The track will take approximately 3.5hours to complete, and unless you’re willing to make it a 6-hour day make sure there is someone at the other end waiting to pick you up.
Te Henga walkway takes you across an incredible landscape that borders Auckland’s west coast; climbing across farms and bordering amazing cliff top views. Bring your camera because you’ll hopefully see gannets diving for fish and incredible views worth framing.
The Te Henga walkway is part of the bigger Hillary Trail, which connects all the west coast walkways and DOC campsites through all the west Auckland beaches. Yet another great hiking trail but one you will need to be super prepared for.
To keep up to date with the status of the Te Henga track or weather warnings check the DOC site here.
Best Time to Walk Mercer Bay Loop Track
There is never a bad time to experience the wild west coast from high above the cliffs, besides thunderstorms of course. My favourite time of the day to visit Mercer Bay Loop is either during the morning before the sun gets too high, preferably before 10 am. Or late in the afternoon when I can watch the sun slowly sink behind the horizon. The sunset creates a beautiful orange glow against the cliffs and treetops, it’s the perfect time for anyone who wants to capture some west coast photos during golden hour.
There is very little shelter on this track, so during summer, you will need to bring a hat and sunglasses, or prepare to get third-degree burns on your forehead.
RELATED: Love hiking? Check out The Best Hikes in New Zealand
Other West Auckland Walking Tracks
Piha Beach
Piha beach is a great place for a walk, swim, surf, or run. Piha beach is one of the most popular beaches in west Auckland as it’s most favoured for its large waves by avid surfers. The beach is well known for its rugged terrain, and dangerous ocean, so much so that it used to be the star of its very own TV show called ‘Piha Rescue. Centered around the lifeguards based at the beach and the everyday people who would find themselves in trouble in the rough surf, sometimes ending up in serious injury or even death.
If you’re not keen on getting in the water then there are plenty of small caves, rock formations, and walking tracks around Piha beach to keep you busy for a whole day.
Dogs are welcome at Piha at certain areas and certain times of the day, So long as they have a reasonably good recall and aren’t likely to go biting anyone.
Kitekite Falls
Kitekite Falls is a popular bush track and swimming spot a short distance from Piha Beach. The track starts at the large carpark and leads you through native bush along boardwalks and gravel paths. Following the trail of the stream thats fed by the falls the path eventually reaches the beautiful three tiered waterfall. Fresh water plummets from the rocky platforms above create a beautiful pond to swim in below. You can continue across towards the top level of the waterfall which is a steeper climb but extremely rewarding which allows great views down the valley, but also if you’re wanting to be around less people or wanting the typical photo at the top.
Karekare Falls
The beach that sits south of the Mercer Bay lookout is Karekare, this is another amazing place for surfing and swimming (between the flags) and exploring the caves and rock formations along the beach. Just like Piha, I think dogs are allowed on the beach with the usual exceptions of the time of year and certain areas of the beach. A short walk from the beach carpark is another amazing and very popular waterfall. Karekare Falls is a great place to visit if you have a young family, or aren’t a fan of excessive exercise.
The waterfall is a very easy 5 minute walk from the roadside and is a popular picnic spot for locals. The water is fresh enough to drink and provides the perfect place to cool off on a hot day.
Take a walk at Mercer Bay loop and experience the wild west coast from cliffs that tower above the ocean. Mercer bay loop is one of the many west Auckland bush walks favoured by people all year around
I like to follow up a walk at Mercer Bay loop with a visit or swim at either Karekare Waterfall or Kitekite falls. Granted if you’ve had enough walking for the day, Karekare waterfall is the obvious choice for it being only a 5-minute walk from the carpark.
