St. Heliers to Churchil Park Coastal Loop
Auckland · Loop
This walk comes from licensed public walk data and is being progressively confirmed against the authorities. Signs on the day always win. The rule-setter’s own wording: “Auckland Council’s Policy on Dogs 2025 (as at 10 March 2026) covers this beach in clause 2.12.3, which runs to the "beach and foreshore areas after Ōkahu Bay to the Glendowie Boating Club, including Mission Bay Beach, Kohimarama Beach, St. Heiler’s Beach". In summer, 1 December to 1 March, dogs are under control on leash before 10am, "Prohibited" 10am to 5pm, and on leash after 5pm. The rest of the year, 2 March to 30 November, they are off leash before 10am, on leash 10am to 4pm, and off leash after 4pm. The table carries a footnote: "* Except in the water where dogs are allowed under control off a leash." Clause 2.12.4(2) prohibits dogs at all times on "St Heliers Beach: from the marked swimming areas on the area in front of the bathing sheds". Worth knowing if you go looking yourself: the policy spells it "St. Heiler’s Beach" in 2.12.3, so searching that document for "Heliers" misses the access rule. Clause 2.12.1 records that "There are no designated dog exercise areas in the Ōrākei Local Board area", and Schedule 1 rule 1.3(1)(a) requires a leash "on all formed roads (including any street, highway, access way, service lane, and on any footpath, cycle track, bus stop and berm within the boundaries of the road)". Where neither a road nor a listed off leash area applies, the default in Schedule 1 rule 1.1(a) does: "Dogs must be under control on a leash in all council-controlled public places with no physical restrictions to access". The eastern lobe of this loop runs through Churchill Park, which is item (6) on the clause 2.12.2 off leash list: "Churchill Park: excluding the area on eastern side of Churchill Park School from the Riddell Road entrance to 366B Riddell Road". So your dog can be off leash inside the park, apart from that excluded strip, and back on the leash for the road and foreshore legs either side of it”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Keep them on the lead, watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About St. Heliers to Churchil Park Coastal Loop
St. Heliers to Churchil Park Coastal Loop is a loop of 7.7 km, in Auckland.
The dog rules change three times on this 7.7 km loop, so it is worth knowing where. You start on St Heliers Beach, which is on seasonal hours: prohibited 10am to 5pm from 1 December to 1 March, and the rest of the year off leash before 10am and after 4pm, on leash in between. The coastal legs out to Glendowie and back are road footpath, so on leash. Then the eastern lobe through Churchill Park is off leash under Auckland’s own list, with one exception, the strip on the eastern side of Churchill Park School running from the Riddell Road entrance to 366B Riddell Road. We have set the walk on leash because that is what most of its length needs.
Expect moderate going, with around 79 m of climb, pitching up to 11 % at its steepest, and takes about 1.5–2 hr to walk.
Walkers come for beach walking, big views, wildflowers, and historic sites. Dogs are allowed here, on the lead. Walkers rate it 4.3 / 5 across 27 reviews.