My parents were holidaying in Orewa for the week so yesterday I went up to see them. Orewa is a small coastal town on the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.  It is approximately 25 minutes drive north of Auckland city.

After having morning tea on the deck of the holiday home overlooking Orewa Beach we walked along the beach. The high tide was quickly approaching so some quick and careful footwork was needed to avoid getting wet feet.

From beach we crossed Hibiscus Coast Highway and picked up the track for Te Ara Tahuna Estuary Cycleway and Walkway next to the Western Reserve.

This 7.5km shared path follows the estuary along past Orewa Western Reserve to Orewa West and then comes out on Arran Drive and follows Millwater Parkway past the new Millwater subdivision, Silverdale School, Kingsway School and loops back around to the Western Reserve via a pedestrian footpath on the Hibiscus Coast Highway road bridge.

The track takes approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to walk or 40 minutes cycle.

After lunch we walked back along Orewa Beach following part of the Millennium Walkway to Old North Road. The Millennium Walkway is a 2 hour oval walk around the Orewa township – the blue footprints on the footpath mark this walk.

At Old North Road we walked up to Alice Eaves Scenic Reserve. This 16 hectare forest is named after Alice Caroline Eaves whose family bequeathed the land to become a public reserve in 1960.

It will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes to walk this scenic reserve.

After walking the Eaves Scenic Reserve we walked back along Orewa Beach to the holiday home.

With its sandy beach and being a perfect base to explore the rest of the Hibiscus Coast, Orewa is a great destination for a day trip or long weekend away.