Mount Manaia

Manaia is the toothed silhouette that closes the northern side of Whangarei Harbour - the eroded core of a volcano, its softer rock stripped away leaving a crest of hard pinnacles at 420 metres. The track up is short at about three kilometres return but relentless: a long series of steps through regenerating bush, climbing steeply almost the whole way, with a boardwalk near the top and a viewing platform below the summit rocks. From it the harbour, the heads, Bream Bay and the offshore islands lie out to the east. The pinnacles themselves are the subject of a Ngatiwai tradition about the chief Manaia and his family, and they are tapu - the summit rocks are not climbed. That is worth knowing before you arrive expecting to scramble to the very top. Allow more time than the distance suggests; the steps are what people underestimate.

What you actually see

• The pinnacles - the eroded volcanic crest, tapu and not climbed.
• The stepped track - three kilometres return, steep throughout.
• The harbour view - Whangarei Heads, Bream Bay and the islands.
• The regenerating bush - the forest either side of the steps.

When to go

October to April. Early morning avoids the heat on the steps. The platform is exposed - skip it in high wind.

Honest expectations

It is short but genuinely steep, essentially a staircase, and harder than the distance implies. The summit rocks are tapu and off limits. No facilities at the trailhead beyond parking.

Nearby

Ocean Beach and Smugglers Bay are over the heads; Whangarei is 35 minutes west.