Devonport Beach
Why go
Devonport Beach is a summer institution — a small, sandy harbour beach where picnic families set up for the day under the shade of the big pōhutukawa lining Windsor Reserve behind. It's not a big stretch of sand, but it's enough: calm, shallow water that's perfect for younger kids, small rocks framing one end and a rock breakwater sheltering the other — walk out to its tip for another angle on the harbour. Everything you need for a full day sits right beside it: the park, one of Auckland's best playgrounds, and the library across the road. It's two minutes' walk from the ferry terminal, facing south across the Waitematā to the city — ferries crossing all day, yachts under sail, the odd cruise ship or container ship sliding through. Sit on the sand watching it all and it's quintessentially Auckland.
What to expect
The real drawcard for families is Windsor Reserve Playground right next door — one of the best in Auckland. The centrepiece is a lighthouse tower: a multi-level climbing frame with a lookout, walkways and a long slide, themed to the harbour sitting right behind it. Around it there's a sandpit with a bucket-and-chain sand lift — kids load sand into little buckets, crank the chain to carry it up to a platform and watch it pour through funnels and back down a chute. Endlessly absorbing for little ones. Add stepping stones, two in-ground trampolines that are always hotly contested, great swings and a spider rope climbing frame — something genuinely for every age. Just across the road, Devonport Library is a brilliant bonus — free wifi, accessible toilets and a lovely reading space for a quieter moment before heading back to the sand.
Pack a picnic, claim a spot under the pōhutukawa and plan to stay all day.
