bridge
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The eight-lane icon spanning Waitematā Harbour since 1959, carrying SH1 into downtown Auckland with skyline and gulf views: thrill-seekers can climb it or bungy jump off it.
5 km · about 10 min drive
OceaniaNew ZealandAuckland
Takapuna
Auckland, New Zealand · Oceania
About Takapuna
Takapuna is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Wairau Valley, 5km from Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Takapuna is in Auckland, New Zealand, with about 12,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Wairau Valley, about 4 km away.
Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volcanic maar and one of the oldest features of the Auckland volcanic field, is a freshwater lake located in the suburb.
Takapuna wasRead more
settled by Tāmaki Māori in the 13th or 14th centuries, who utilised the resources of Lake Pupuke, and a pōhutukawa grove called Te Uru Tapu. The grove still exists to this day and was an important location for funeral ceremonies. In 1847, the first European farmers settled at Takapuna, and the Crown gifted land at Takapuna to Ngāpuhi chief Eruera Maihi Patuone in order to create a protective barrier for Auckland. Jean-Baptiste Pompallier established St Mary's College at Takapuna in 1849.
The area became a popular tourist destination for wealthy families of Auckland in the 1880s, when many large summer residences were being constructed on the shores of Lake Pupuke. By the early 20th century, Takapuna Beach had grown in importance for tourists. The suburb developed in the 1910s due to a private tramway, and by the 1930s gradually became a commercial centre for the North Shore. Takapuna grew in importance after the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, becoming the administrative centre for the North Shore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Takapuna?
Within an hour or so of Takapuna: Auckland Harbour Bridge (5 km), Sky Tower (6 km), Auckland Zoo (9 km), Muriwai Gannet Colony (32 km).
Where is Takapuna?
Takapuna is in Auckland, New Zealand, about 4 km from Wairau Valley.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 11,930
- Continent
- Oceania
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Auckland
- Timezone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Coordinates
- -36.7917, 174.7758
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in New Zealand
Many rural bridges are single-lane. Give way as signed.
Full driving guide for New ZealandTags
Worth the detour from Takapuna
6 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Sky Tower
328-metre observation and telecommunications tower dominating the Auckland skyline, New Zealand's tallest man-made structure.
6 km · about 10 min drive
landmark
Auckland Zoo
New Zealand's largest zoo with native wildlife including kiwi alongside exotic species from around the globe.
9 km · about 15 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Muriwai Gannet Colony
Around 1,200 pairs of Australasian gannets nest on a cliff shelf and sea stack west of Auckland, with viewing platforms placed metres from the birds. Occupied roughly August to March.
32 km · about 35 min drive
beach
Piha Beach
Auckland's wild west coast surf beach, dominated by the iconic Lion Rock and powerful black-sand breakers.
33 km · about 40 min drive
beach
Karekare Beach
A vast black-sand beach beneath the Waitakere Ranges, where The Piano was filmed, with a waterfall in the bush behind the car park. Wilder and emptier than neighbouring Piha.
35 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Takapuna
- Right hereAuckland Harbour BridgeThe eight-lane icon spanning Waitematā Harbour since 1959, carrying SH1 into downtown Auckland with skyline and gulf views: thrill-seekers can climb it or bungy jump off it.
- 32 kmMuriwai Gannet ColonyAround 1,200 pairs of Australasian gannets nest on a cliff shelf and sea stack west of Auckland, with viewing platforms placed metres from the birds. Occupied roughly August to March.
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