And the dog came too... dog walks in New Zealand
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Mapua Headland

A long and pleasant beach walk around Mapua Headland, taking in the cafes and craft shops on Mapua Wharf. To extend the walk,wander up the beach to Ruby Bay and fossick for the 'rubies' after which the bay is inaccurately named.

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Mapua Headland

Name
Mapua Headland
Location
Mapua
Co-ordinates
1607602  5433740
Alternative co-ordinates
1608359  5433255
Configuration
Network
Distance
4 km
Status
Varied
Grade
Easy
Access
In Mapua, park opposite the school near the junction between Aranui Road and Stafford Drive (carparking beside Aranui Park). Walk starts at track beside school parking area. Alternatively, take Tait Street off Stafford Drive, ca. 800 metres north of the junction with Aranui Road, turn right onto Broadsea Avenue and park in Chayter Reserve at the end.
Description
A lengthy loop walk, with several variations, and a choice of following either the beach or the embankment walkway for much of the way. Numerous link tracks giving access from several directions, and the chance to extend the walk as desired. Note that the embankment walkway between Mapua camground and the sea wall is discretionary, so keep dogs on a lead and obey the signs. For a really long walk, follow the beach and embankment north through Ruby Bay (where you can link to The Gullies walk) and on as far as Kina Beach.
Connecting tracks
The Gullies, Kina Beach
Further information
https://www.tasman.govt.nz/document/serve/RubyCoastWalkingCyclingMapAug2014.pdf?path=/EDMS/Public/Other/Recreation/000000244710
The beaches between Ruby Bay and Mapua Wharf offer lots of scope for walking - all of it dog-friendly. You can start almost anywhere you want: in the north at McKees Reserve or on Ruby Bay beach; at the car park in Chayter Reserve, on Broadsea Avenue (off Tait Street); via the walkway that runs down to the beach from the end of Aranui Road; from the causeway on Toru Street, or from Mapua Wharf. Using the adjacent streets and stretches of cycle way (the Great Taste Trail passes through Mapua), you can make any of these into an easy loop walk, and equally can connect up with other nearby walks (e.g. The Gullies, Dominion Flats or Kina Beach).

The character of the walk varies,according to the weather and tides. Sometimes the beaches are sandy, sometimes gravelly, usually a bit of both. On calm days, the sea turns a pale aquamarine and the beach seems placid and inviting; when the wind roars in from the north, however, there can be wild seas and the waves crash over the somewhat inadequate boulder wall. (It doesn't need saying, but this is an increasingly common event with global warming.)  But when the tide is right, there's good swimming in Ruby Bay, and youngsters enjoy jumping off the small jetty behind the cafes on Mapua Wharf. Ruby Bay, though it has to be said is a bit of a deceit. It's a pleasant beach, but there are no rubies. There are, however, pebbles of red jasper, which are a poor man's version of the real gems - and that's what supposedly gives the bay its name. And if it's coffee or food you want, you can't go wrong. Mapua boasts at least half a dozen cafes and restaurants, as well as two pubs and a world-renowned fish and chip shop. So enjoy.

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If you've found this website helpful, you might also want to look at some of my novels and poetry. These, like my dog-walking, are drawn from a love of nature and the countryside. To learn more, click here.