Howick's Neighbourhood

Or, if you prefer, stroll around the village on your own and see how the early settlers lived.   Some of the settlers demonstrated a true entrepreneurial spirit and set up businesses.   One of whom was Owen Lynch, who opened The Howick Arms in the front room of his fencible cottage.   On the third Sunday of each month except December, the village comes to life as trained, costumed volunteers recreate colonial life.   Pause at the Homestead Café for some refreshment or browse through the treasures in the village shop – you’ll be surprised at what you find.

There is a wide  range of activities available in Lloyd Elsmore Park including sports fields, sports clubs, and a leisure centre with public swimming pools and fitness complex.   It is also the home of Howick Little Theatre, which had its beginnings in 1954 when 18 Howick residents met and formed this community theatre group.   The many English settlers in Howick had a real passion for theatre and set up what has become one of the most successful amateur theatre groups in the country.   The group stages four plays each year and these are a highlight of the social calendar in Howick.   Further information including performance dates and times can be found at www.hlt.org.nz

Also located in Lloyd Elsmore Park is Bell House restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious pre-theatre meal in a beautiful historic house.    Bell House was built in 1851 and is a category 1 listed Historic building.   Whilst dining, you can enjoy beautiful surroundings with numerous artifacts illustrating the history of the house, the family and the district.

Pigeon Mountain is situated in Halfmoon Bay and was once called Ohuiarangi – a castle and moat volcano which overlooks the Tamaki Estuary.   The name Pigeon Mountain was given to the volcanic cone by early settlers due to the large number of native pigeons that fed there on pigeon wood berries.   A great battle was fought near Pigeon Mountain and the spot where the battle took place is known today as Pakuranga.rahihi (the battle of the rays).

Take a drive up to Musick Point, passing through the Howick Golf Course, where you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the Hauraki Gulf and out to the Islands.  

Located at the mouth of the Tamaki River, Bucklands Beach takes its name from the Buckland family who owned the farm in the area.  It is popular for windsurfing, small sailing boats and swimming. The seabed is steeper than Eastern Beach but it is still suitable for children and it is especially fun to frolic in the wake of the passing boats. Water traffic use the channel which runs along the stretch of Bucklands Beach to reach the harbour and yachts are moored not far off the beach. It’s a lovely setting in summer and especially nice to enjoy an ice-cream on the beach and watch the ferries and boats go past.

Eastern Beach is a popular family beach, its calm waters and flat seabed make it a perfect spot for children to paddle and play. The thick cockle shell deposits on Eastern Beach were quarried until the 1940’s for road metal and for burning of lime mortar for brickwork. Today cockle shells are collected in brightly colored buckets by children to adorn their sandcastles.  

Sea kayaking has become more popular in recent years and Eastern Beach is a favourite spot for beginners and the more experienced. Whether you kayak for fitness, sightseeing or fishing, the waters of Eastern Beach won’t disappoint. Local kayak fishermen rave about the bountiful fishing grounds where snapper and kawhai feed on the shellfish laden beds. At low tide the sand flats make a great place to walk. You can wander for miles with the cool damp sand underfoot, perfect on a scorching day when all other surfaces seem to burn the soles of your feet. Look out for the sand dollars in the shallow pools at low tide, they are Echinoids and come from the same marine family as starfish. They are flat and circular and feel rough like sand-paper. Sand dollars feed on organic particles that settle on the sandy floor. According to myth, sand dollars are said to be the money used by mermaids.