Just south of Orewa and 35km north of Auckland lies the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
The peninsula lies in an Easterly direction and is lined with beaches both sandy and rocky bays and is about 14km long. Red Beach is the first Bay which has a sandy bay with rock edgings, Red Beach has a Surf Lifesaving Club in residence.
Pinewoods Motor Camp is also in Red Beach.
Stanmore Bay is a little further down. This is also a beautiful sandy beach and not too far from Whangaparaoa's  Pacific Plaza shopping mall which is in the process of a major revamp. Further down Little Manly is on the Southern shores. This is a small sandy beach lined with Pohutukawa trees which offer excellent shade on those hot sunny days.
Over the hill off Beach Road is Manly Beach, a lot larger and more popular than Little Manly. Wind  and Kite surfing are two popular activities here along with Yachting and Boating. Back up to Manly Shopping Centre, continue down Whangaparaoa Rd till Tindalls Beach on the left or Bay on the right. Both  and  are sandy beaches. Tindalls looks towards the west and is especially nice at sunset. Matakatia looks towards Auckland's Sky Tower and Rangitoto Island.
Back up the hill continue along Whangaparaoa Road till the next roundabout. The last stretch is a round trip. To the left Shakespear Park is 4 km away. This park includes Army Bay Te Haruhi Bay and Okoromai Bay. There are  beach, bush and park walks in this area. Walking to the right around the point Tiritiri Matangi Island comes into view. This island is undergoing a conservation project and a ferry can be taken to visit this paradise. Continuing around Gulf Harbour is next up with its world class golf club and marina. On the way back up the peninsula near the plaza is another beach called Arkles Bay which is just as nice as any of the others with views over to Rangitoto Island.

Army Bay looking toward Shakespear Park