Omanawanui Track carpark

One of the best tracks around Auckland! Has really great views - In terms of difficulty - would place this around a medium fit with plenty of stairs! Was quite busy track so you can't get lost! - takes maybe an hour to make it to the first look out and another hour for the summit from the main carpark. Total of 3-4 hours at a medium/slow speed : Only tip I have is that the DOC map shows a loop - THERE IS NO LOOP so after you finish the first point - decide if you will like to do another hour to the next.

Went with a group of 4 adults, 1hour 30mins return trip to the peak. Stunning views, lots of stairs totally worth it. First 20mins you reach a beautiful 360 view you can technically end here but have to get to the end for the challenge. Lots of parking, near the end of the road had gravel, good spot on a sunny day. Bring your lunch and water!

If you love mountain and the sea, this is a must. The 180 degree view of the Manukau Harbour will take your breath away. On a sunny day, you can even see Mt Taranaki. It's tiring, but worth the effort.

5 kids, 2 adults, 4 hours there and back. Just under 5000 box steps to get through, decent inclines and a couple of places where you need to partially climb using the chain they provided. Stunning views, easy for kids to navigate and the beautiful sound of peace, quiet and nature

A spectacular hike to the top and to the caves...Great for sunset and sunrise lovers like myself.

Nice seaviews. Mostly stairs, so not really a hike. Not much bush coverage. Very popular. Seemed like a tourist destination when I went. Narrow gravel road to walk, so pretty slow with traffic to get to and from the walk.

The view is spectacular on the walk but I wouldn’t recommend because the road leading to the carpark is horrible and really dangerous because it’s really narrow and unpaved. The walk isn’t really that easy. Sure, there are staircases but the incline is really no joke. The stairs up to the 2nd ridge is nearly 90 degrees.

Amazing walk with new pathway. Highly recommend! At least 15km unsealed narrow road leading to the Carpark, drive with caution, do not wash your car before coming, bad idea.

Awesome walking tracks. One of the best in Auckland. Make sure you bring lots of water and enough food though. Reasonable level of fitness required but the scenery is well worth the effort

A great walk, newly-opened. Follows a ridge along the harbour. Multiple peaks with stunning 360° views. The track is in excellent condition, but be warned there are A LOT of steps, up and down. It's not a loop, and is about 50min each way. However you can make it a loop and walk back via the road which we decided to do instead of facing those steps again, this takes only about 30min as opposed to 50min. At the beach end, you also have the option of walking out to the lighthouse via the Signal House Track, which adds about 30min. You can start Omanawanui from either the Whatipu Beach end, or there is an entry to the track from Whatipu Road, about 5min driving prior to reaching the beach. It is sign posted and you should see it. We walked from the Whatipu Road entry to the beach, and getting that view down to the beach at the end is amazing. But if you do decide to create a loop using the road you could start at the beach as your walk back along the road would be downhill. There are only a handful of parks at the Whatipu Road entry, so you might end up having no choice but to start from the beach end. Also, if it's sunny take a hat, sunscreen and water, as there are many parts of the track that are exposed.