Located west of Pukekohe on the Manukau Heads Peninsula, Kariotahi Beach is easily accessible by Auckland and Waikato adventure riders. The beach is a very shallow flat beach so has plenty of room between the surf and high tide line to safely ride and should be suitable for beginner riders.
To the South of the access point at Karioitahi Beach Road the beach is open and mostly smooth and access ends at an impassable Rocky outcrop. Watch out for some very lumpy sand not far before the rocky outcrop though.
To the North of Karioitahi Beach Road the beach riders wind their way between scattered rocks and the ride is more interesting. At the point the GPS track stops there is a low outcrop of rocks that would be passable near low tide but would become impassable once the tide started to come back in and but we didn’t know if there was an access point further up we could exit. Another trip is required to see if we can access the beach from the top and join the 2 sections together.
Karioitahi Beach is very popular for 4wd’s, motorcycles, fishing and families so take care to respect other beach users.
Permits now Required!
As of September 1st 2015 Auckland Council require all vehicles accessing Muriwai and Karioitahi beaches to obtain a permit beforehand.
Permits last a year, are free and can be obtained online via the Auckland Council website at: http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/licencesregulations/drivingonbeaches/Pages/home.aspx
A separate permit must be applied for each vehicle to be used.
Auckland Council have also published a set of rules for driving on Muriwai and Karioitahi beaches: http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/licencesregulations/drivingonbeaches/Pages/home.aspx
Contributed by: @eddieb
Track type: Sandy Beach
Track composition: Smooth, Soft, Undulating
Slippery when wet? No
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Beginner
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Intermediate
River crossings? No
Here’s a little ride report of our trip out there to track Karioitahi Beach.
https://www.adventureridingnz.co.nz/forums/topic/karioitahi-beach-ride/
I received this email last week from the North Waikato Coastal Communities group regarding riding on Kariotahi and other beaches.
There is a meeting in Waiuku tomorrow night with Auckland Council to discuss vehicle usage on Karioitahi Beach due to idiots the continuing to ride recklessly on the beach. A suggested outcome is to close vehicle access for vehicles if Police cannot provide regular patrols and responses to calls from locals.
@mark_claasens
Auckland Transport are proposing to reduce the speed limit on Kariotahi beach to 20km/h. AT have done well to bury it in this round of speed limit reductions, with the ‘buzz’ being about speed limits around schools. Submissions open until 28th Aug https://haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/kko Map of proposed changes https://haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/kko/maps/katoa-ka-ora-interactive-map-of-proposed-changes