Starts at 80 The Parade, Bucklands Beach
This walk or short ride runs through Te Waiarohia o Ngai Tai (Musick Point), a significant cultural heritage site for Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and has outstanding views over the Hauraki Gulf. It also takes in a unique piece of New Zealand history.
Start on Musick Point Road, and follow the footpath to the Musick Point Esplanade Reserve entrance. From the entrance there’s no separate footpath, so you can walk to the end of the peninsula on the grass or road. Take care of passing vehicles and watch out for stray golf balls from the Howick Golf Course.
There are fantastic elevated views over the Hauraki Gulf, you can see to Rangitoto, Browns, Motuihe and Waiheke islands.
Musick Point has a fascinating history. Don't miss the former radio transmission station, which played a key role in the South Pacific campaign during WWII. In the late 1930's, Musick Point was one of five strategic locations for a national communications network that enabled commercial international aviation in New Zealand. Musick Point was named after American aviation pioneer, Captain Edwin Musick.
The unique architecture of the transmission station is credited to the first New Zealand-trained Government Architect John Blake-Kelly. It represents an early local use of modern or functionalist-influenced architecture in Auckland.
Another claim to fame is that the radio transmission station building was 'blown up' during the filming of an episode of children’s television show 'Terry and the Gunrunners' in 1985. The fireball from the explosion was set off by remote control from the top of the drive. The episode is available to watch on the Musick Point Radio Group website.
