Alert/Important notice
Access to North Head from Cheltenham Beach temporarily closed.
The track from Cheltenham beach to North Head is being upgraded. New concrete steps are currently being constructed.
The short track is now closed to the public until Friday 24 February 2012. This date may change depending on weather and time taken to complete the upgrade.
Introduction
North Head is a small strategic headland at the mouth of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. Its commanding views over the Hauraki Gulf and inner harbour have made it an important lookout and defence site for centuries, first for early Maori inhabitants and later for European settlers.
North Head was one of a number of defence forts that were rapidly set up in the late 1800s to defend Auckland from a feared Russian attack. The fort was later expanded as part of Auckland's coastal defence system during World Wars I and II.
2010 marked the 125th anniversary of the Barracks Building at the summit of North Head
A complex of tunnels, guns, searchlights and other fortifications make this a fascinating area to explore. It is now a historic reserve managed by the Department of Conservation.
North Head (named Maungauika by Maori) is a taonga with many special places. The tangata whenua have a spiritual, cultural and historical relationship with their taonga.