Last Updated: 18th Jul 2024
Gulf Harbour Tiki Tour
Last Updated: 18th Jul 2024
Grunt Factor: 25 ?
Gnarl Factor: 15 ?
23.5km
690m
690m
90m
Last Updated: 18th Jul 2024
Last Updated: 18th Jul 2024
Grunt Factor: 25 ?
Gnarl Factor: 15 ?
23.5km
690m
690m
90m
Urban fringe
Loop
Undulating, some big hills
Native bush
Beach
Coastal
Open farmlands
Open ridges/tops
Sealed Road
Farm Road / 4WD Track
Easy Single Track
Moderate Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +4.2%
Average Downhill Gradient: -5.0%
Login as a VIP to see the trailhead information.
3:00
Slow
2:15
Moderate
1:30
Fast
Leaving Yogis Bar and Grill, you run following the marina on your left, ensuring to take the grass turnoff on your left following the footpath. This pops out where you can swing by the 4 Square to pick up anything you may have forgotten, before following the trail around the rest of the Harbour village. Turning right onto Bella Vista, and immediate left after the bridge. Take the stairs, not the bridge or ramp, and follow until the T intersection where you turn right. Up the huge staircase, and turning left at the top to follow the road.
Turning left at the T, and then a soft right at the end of the road to head up the hill. Left at the roundabout, and down to the bottom of the hill. Left at Fishermans Rock Reserve, and up the opposing boat ramp onto the grass until opening in Pacific Parade Reserve. Take the stairs on the left, down to the beach. If tide is high, follow road up and around instead.
Up off the beach and into Shakespear Park following the Waterfall trail until breaking out onto farmland where you aim for the top. Once on top of the hill past the lookout, keep the fence on your left until you have come the full way around - will require one fence climb over. Take the second entrance on the right past the visitor center to go up the hill, detouring to see a giant tree on the left by the ocean if you like.
Once on Shakespear Road, take the trail on the left and follow between the homes and cliff edge. Follow the path with the blue feet through golf course section, past gated community entrance, until you are looking south to the city along the road. Follow the road, staying on the left side to take the side street final loop. Finally return to Yogis Bar and Grill, for a great post run meal and drink.
Shakespear Park is a bird sanctuary with stunning views from Auckland to Great Barrier Island and everything in between. Waterfalls, trees, birds, mansions, more than can be mentioned.
If you know of any public toilets near the trail start or on the route, please login and then let us know so we can update this section.
Plenty of free parking.
18 km
25 minutes
No
No
Moderate.
The entire purpose of this run is to keep the ocean on your left side as you run clockwise. If in doubt, aim for the closest you can get to this goal between the choices. The only exceptions are between Bella Vista drive turn off and the top of the long stairs.
Generally good.
Windproof jacket, Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map
Water at Army Bay, Shakespear Park, and Yogis Bar and Grill.
Must be low or mid tide only when run to ensure beach sections are safe. If in doubt, take inland detours.
Cliff edges along about 80% of the run, so stay to the trails. Once again, be careful to not do with stormy seas or higher than mid tide.
Yogis Bar and Grill
Start and finish line
https://yogisbarandeatery.co.nz/
Fantastic food, great drinks, lovely people, can't say enough good things. There is a reason it is always packed with locals.
The Kitchen Door
Start and Finish
N/A
World renown British chef set up a pop up in a shipping container here, and people are more than willing to travel for his amazing food. As with all British food, on the heavier side but goes down great after a half marathon. A pie and a hangout on the beach goes a long ways after 23.5k.
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Gulf Harbour Tiki Tour
As a VIP member you can record private notes for this trail, see all of your times and more.
Already have an account? Login now
IM
If you want to avoid even more of the road and find a little but more wilderness this close to town aim to be at the Gulf Harbour end of the run around low tide, instead of heading up over the hill head all the way down the side of Laurie Southwick Parade to the start of the carpark, head across the grass at the base of the cliff, skip across the end of the little creek and head around under the cliff. When you get to Matakatia (next bay around) head up the first road (Zita Ave), over the main road and down Hardley Ave on the other side all the way to the beach, then you can run around the bottom of the cliffs to your right and 4k of beautiful hidden beaches and seafront later you rejoin the posted route at Fishermans cove. It is all passable up to 2 hours each side of low tide - later if you don't mind risking getting your shoes wet.
October 26, 2022
Exceptional route to take on a sunny day!
I started at the park opposite Wentworth College near the village. Running along the waterway after Bella Vista was cute and the view after going up the stairs was cool but if you want to cut out about 3.5km of distance, you could skip this and from the village go up Regency Park Dr instead to the end where there's a walkway getting you directly opposite Fishermans Rock Reserve.
Shakespear Regional Park is awesome, with so many awesome views from the farmland and a great bush track. At each of the park's 3 beaches, on the reserves just off the beach there are water fountains. So you could do this without taking water if you want.
A neat surprise I found was the two coastal grassy reserve strips that you go along. The one that came off Shakespear Rd went on for quite a way. It was hard to pinpoint where to get off there onto the road. I went all the way to the end which was also the end of Island View Dr and had to backtrack a little to #76 where the walkway to the golf course is.
The blue feet didn't continue as far as I'd hoped. But at a cul-de-sac where you run out on you can see on the other side the path continuing. From there I took the right path instead of left, this just ended up being a shortcut to Pinecrest Dr (but with less coast).
November 23, 2021
Pretty chunky run. Great route, huge variety of running conditions and views. Really enjoyed it.
December 7, 2020
Stunning views. Love this run for a good half marathon workout on a beautiful course.
Delicious Cornish Pasties at the finish too!!
October 25, 2020
These overlap with this trail to some degree. You may wish to combine them but please note that to qualify for FKTs on these runs you should record a separate activity for each.
Send to your phone
Scan the below QR code to open this trail on your phone.
Tip: position the QR code in your phone camera screen.
