Te Henga was previously known as Bethells Beach primarily because it was named after the Bethells family who acquired the land in the area in the early 1900s. In 1976, it was formally renamed as Te Henga; "Henga" meaning "gunwhale" of an upturned canoe (waka) in Maori, because from a distance, the sand dunes in the area resemble just that.
The Te Henga Walkway is a point-to-point track and therefore, there are two ways to tackle it - the south side from Bethells Beach or the north end from Muriwai. Both trail heads are less than an hours drive from Auckland. The track itself is about 6.4 miles. The track primarily contours the cliff edge and it is actually part of a longer 46.6 mile track called the Hillary Trail which crosses the entire length of the Waitakere Range from Titirangi to Muriwai. The following two photos show the start of the Te Henga Walkway from Bethells Beach and from Muriwai - Constable Road.
They both share similar views and experiences, although one starts with an ascend and the other a steep descend via wooden steps. Additionally, the Bethells Beach trail head is usually very popular and thus, coming from Constable Road is much more relaxing.
The next set of photos shows the view of Bethells Beach and from the private farms off Constable Rd. As you can see, both trail heads start with spectacular views!
The south side track immediately follows the shoreline cliff side whilst the north end goes through a large swath of grassland.
The farmland crossing in the north side can at times be a little muddy, especially after the rain.
On the south side, most will traverse only up to the top of the cliffs. As we got higher up and closer to the edge of the cliff, the jaw-dropping views of the ocean meeting the cliffs came into view.
On the north side, we trek through the grass lands and passed a large pohutukawa/christmas tree.
As the track snakes up and down contouring the edge of the cliff, there will be high points along the track that will present itself as the best viewing spots.
The next pair of photos were taken along such spots, where we got a clear view of the cliff edge being battered by the roiling ocean. These would be the climax of the track from either end.
This track is a good introduction to hiking or for someone who just wants to be out in nature enjoying the views and some fresh air. One doesn't need to complete the track in its entirety to appreciate its beauty.
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