Tucked behind the BBQs on the Palm Beach reserve, with no signpost, this track begins by heading up into the bush and popping out onto Matapana Road.
Turn left
Turn left (with the sea on your left) at the top of the track and follow Matapana Road around, and then turn a very sharp left and head down to Hill Road.
Left again
Once the road curves right around and drops down, turn a sharp left again onto Matapana Road, which soon leads onto Hill Road. Stay on the contour, heading away from the coast.
About 600m after the sharp left
About 600m after the sharp left, staying straight on Hill Road at the next intersection, keep an eye out for the big concrete ramp that connects to the bridle track. Walk up this ramp and turn right at the top. A long set of wide steps will take you up beside the Wawata Estate subdivision
Left at the steps
At the top of the steps, turn left onto the sealed road - this is Crescent Road Extension. By the gates to the new subdivision, continue straight onto the grassy track to keep climbing the ridge, with fabulous views across the top of Wawata Estate out to Rakino Island, the Noises and the Hauraki Gulf.
At the top of the grass track
At the top of the grass track, turn right and follow the sealed driveway to exit onto Sea View Road.
Exit the driveway
Exit the driveway and turn left, cross the road here and look for the safer sidetrack, on the right-hand side of the road behind the barrier.
Enjoy the views as you walk along Sea View Road
Enjoy the views as you walk along Sea View Road, and past (or via!) the wineries. At the top of Seventh Ave lookout for the Te Ara Hura signs.
Drop down to the beach
Drop down towards the beach, finding the long narrow staircase that descends directly toward the sea. At the bottom of the stairs follow the road slightly right as it runs down to meet The Strand behind the beach.Walk along the stunning beach, enjoying the views to Little Barrier and out beyond the Coromandel headland to Great Barrier Island. Towards the furthest end, (on your right, looking out to sea) there are lots of stairways to exit the beach up to Fourth Ave, the bus stop, and the Onetangi restaurants.
Finish at 4th Avenue
Congratulations, you've reached the end of the walk! Enjoy the beach, have a drink or something to eat at one of the restaurants here, or catch the bus from the stop at 4th Avenue.
