Taranaki Coastal Walkway & Ōakura
Black-sand beaches and the whalebone bridge
Best for Beach dogs, coastal families.
New Plymouth Coastal Walkway
- 1
Te Huanui Takutai Coastal Walkway: Wind Wand to Te Rewa Rewa Bridge
Dogs allowedFlat cycleway hugging the sea past the kinetic Wind Wand, dogs welcome, easy for every paw.
- ~4 km drive
- 2
Te Huanui Takutai Coastal Walkway: Te Rewa Rewa to Tiromoana Cresent
Dogs allowedWhalebone bridge frames Mt Taranaki, the signature regional shot; dogs welcome, beach below.
- ~6 km drive
- 3
Fitzroy Beach Holiday Park
Dogs by arrangement, call aheadBeachfront holiday park; dogs by arrangement, so call ahead to confirm your pup's spot.
- ~15 km drive to Day 2
Tapuae to Ōakura
- 1
Tapuae Beach Walk
Dogs allowedBlack-sand surf beach and river mouth; top-rated coast, and check the summer window before the dog hits the sand.
- ~4 km drive
- 2
Matekai Park Loop Walk
Dogs allowedRare signed off-lead beach loop in Ōakura, let them run where it's allowed.
Trips like this one
Taupō & the Great Lake Trail
The Great Lake Trail sections (Headland Loop/W2K and Waihāhā) now welcome dogs and give them room to properly run, but they are shared cycle trails, so keep recall sharp and step aside for mountain bikers.
Auckland West: Black Sand & the Waitākere Fringe
Dogs are welcome at Muriwai year-round, but the south-end Otakamiro gannet colony with its clifftop tracks is strictly no-dogs, so keep well clear.
Wellington: South Coast, Makara & Harbour Bays
Much of Wellington's south coast (Owhiro Bay, Red Rocks) is open ground where a dog can properly run, but keep them close near the Sinclair Head fur-seal colony, where seals haul out year-round and peak May to October, so never let a dog approach them.