A shallow, white-sand harbour beach with a small playground on the reserve beside it, Matakawau Beach is a quiet family stop on the Āwhitu Peninsula, on the Manukau Harbour side of rural Auckland. The playground was funded by the Franklin Local Board and opened in 2019 with a community party of sausage sizzle, clown show and fishing games for the kids.1
Equipment
A compact fort with two decks, one under a little roof, has stairs, a climbing wall panel and a blue slide. Beside it a log-beamed swing frame carries a basket swing, a baby bucket seat and a standard seat, and there is a small single-seat rocker. Everything sits in a timber-edged bed of loose chip on open grass. It is best for under-eights; older kids will spend their time on the beach.
Practical Info
The beach is the main event. A visitor describes the water as shallow with no strong waves, safe for children to paddle and good for kayaks and paddleboards. Pōhutukawa shade a grassy strip with picnic tables looking straight out over the harbour, and on a clear day the Sky Tower is visible on the far shore.
A gravel car park lined with timber bollards sits right beside the playground, though it can get muddy after rain. The toilet block has changing rooms and a coastal mural down one wall, and one reviewer found it surprisingly clean. Locals walk their dogs here and use the playground often, yet the same reviewer came for peace and quiet and found it. The play area is not fenced and the car park is close, so keep an eye on wanderers.
Parts of the surrounding Matakawau Point Reserve are fenced off where the sandstone cliffs are eroding.2 The nearest other playground in our listings is Clarks Beach Recreational Reserve, roughly 5 km away as the crow flies.
