Shakespear Regional Park Fishing: Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay, Whangaparāoa

Last updated October 2026

Shakespear Regional Park, now also named Te Hāruhi, sits at the tip of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, about 50 km from central Auckland. Auckland Council says fishing is permitted and popular here, and that at high tide you can surfcast off Army Bay.

Local tackle reports for the waters around the peninsula mention snapper, kahawai, gurnard and kingfish. Two rules matter before you go: no shellfish, other invertebrates or seaweed can be taken from the park’s bays until March 2028, and no dogs are allowed anywhere inside the pest-proof sanctuary.

At a Glance

Location

Tip of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula; main entrance 1501 Whangaparāoa Road, Army Bay

Water

Hauraki Gulf (sea)

Main species

Snapper, kahawai and gurnard around the peninsula; kingfish off the rocks

Best time

High tide for surfcasting off Army Bay (council advice)

Gates

6am to 9pm in daylight saving, 6am to 7pm otherwise; you cannot drive in after closing

Shellfish

All invertebrates and seaweed closed until 11 March 2028

Dogs

Not allowed in the sanctuary; seasonal rules at Army Bay and Ōkoromai Bay

Getting there

About 50 km via State Highway 1, Silverdale and Whangaparāoa Road; AT bus to Army Bay

Camping

Te Haruhi Bay campground (bookings through Auckland Council)

Tide port

Tiritiri Matangi Island (LINZ secondary port on Auckland)

What You'll Find Here

In June 2026 Auckland Council gave the park the dual name Te Hāruhi / Shakespear Regional Park. Te Hāruhi means the weak or feeble breath, and refers to the sheltered bay, which was a safe landing place for waka and a centre for growing kūmara. The narrative behind the name was shared by Te Kawerau ā Maki.

People have lived here on and off for about 1000 years. Ngāti Kahu occupied the peninsula before Europeans arrived, with their main living sites at Army Bay and Te Haruhi Bay.

W H Shakespear bought 800 ha in 1883, his family’s 1910 homestead is now the YMCA lodge, and the Auckland Regional Authority bought the land for a park in 1967. The spelling is Shakespear, after the family, not Shakespeare.

A 1.7 km pest-proof fence now protects a 500 ha open sanctuary covering the park and some neighbouring land. Little spotted kiwi, robins, whiteheads and saddlebacks have been brought back, glow-worms live in Waterfall Gully, and New Zealand dotterels and variable oystercatchers nest above the high tide line on Te Haruhi Bay from about November.

The north-eastern tip of the peninsula is New Zealand Defence Force land and is signposted keep out. The Army took 130 ha during the Second World War, and the park still has pillboxes and an anti-tank ditch from that time.

How to Fish Shakespear Regional Park

Where and when

Council’s advice is to surfcast off Army Bay at high tide. Ōkoromai Bay is very tidal and drains a long way, so it also needs the top of the tide.

The local tackle shop’s column notes that the peninsula has plenty of rocky ledges and beaches to fish from, and the park map marks fishing from rocks. Divers and snorkellers use the wreck of the SS Wainui at the western end of Te Haruhi Bay, so keep your lines well clear of them.

What to catch and what to use

• Snapper: Whangaparāoa Bay holds snapper. Bait tends to draw small fish, so local tackle staff suggest lures and soft baits, for example on a 3/8 oz jig head. For boat and kayak anglers in the Gulf they favour the end of the outgoing tide.
• Kahawai: often seen working the bait schools in the bay; small fresh baits or a flasher rig.
• Kingfish: land-based anglers chase them off the peninsula’s rocks with live baits on a slider rig.
• Gurnard: a ledger-style rig on the sandy bottom.

Rigs and bait

Local tackle advice for these waters is a lightly weighted stray-line or a flasher rig for snapper, with baits of pilchard, squid, mullet, bonito belly, koheru or piper. Salmon or pilchard berley helps bring fish in. The park is popular for kayaking, so a kayak lets you reach deeper water off the bays.

Getting There and Facilities

• Road: about 50 km, or 40 minutes, from central Auckland via State Highway 1, the Silverdale off-ramp and Whangaparāoa Road. There is plenty of parking at each of the beach areas.
• Gates: the main gates open at 6am and close at 9pm during daylight saving and 7pm the rest of the year. After closing you can drive out but not in, so plan dawn and evening sessions around the gate times. Pedestrian gates are at the Waterfall Gully car park, beside the vehicle gate, and at the Ōkoromai Bay end of the fence.
• Bus and ferry: AT bus 988 runs to Army Bay and links with the Gulf Harbour ferry, which sails on weekdays only.
• Camping: Te Haruhi Bay campground, at the eastern end of the bay, has flush toilets, cold showers and drinking water but no power. Book through Auckland Council: it is often full in summer.
• Sanctuary rules: check your vehicle, gear and bait bins for pests before you come in, take all rubbish and food scraps home, and do not light fires.
• Dogs: no dogs or other pets anywhere in the open sanctuary, even inside vehicles. Army Bay and Ōkoromai Bay have seasonal rules: from 1 December to 1 March dogs are banned on those beaches from 10am to 5pm.

Rules and Safety

• Sea fishing here follows MPI’s Auckland and Kermadec rules (Auckland East). No licence is needed.
• From 12 March 2026 to 11 March 2028 it is illegal to take any shellfish, other invertebrates or seaweed from the Ōrewa River bridge around the peninsula to the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve. The closure covers all of Te Haruhi Bay and Ōkoromai Bay. Kina are excepted, and rock lobster and scallops are already closed. Fishing for finfish is not affected.
• Set netting is banned off Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay beaches, within 200 m of the shore, from 20 December to 31 March each year under an Auckland Council bylaw.
• No high protection area covers the park. If you fish from a boat or kayak, check DOC’s Hauraki Gulf protection maps for the nearby Tiritiri Matangi areas.
• Keep out of the Defence Force land at the north-eastern tip.
• Ōkoromai Bay is very tidal and the coast is lined with cliffs: watch the tide when walking around the foreshore and rocks.
• Check Safeswim for water quality before swimming.

Tackle and Bait Nearby

• Top Catch Whangaparāoa, 743 Whangaparāoa Road, Arkles Bay: bait and tackle, open from early morning every day.

Official Sources for Shakespear Regional Park

Common Questions

Can you fish at Shakespear Regional Park?
Yes. Council says fishing is permitted and popular, and that you can surfcast off Army Bay at high tide.

Can I collect shellfish at Shakespear?
No. From 12 March 2026 to 11 March 2028 no shellfish, other invertebrates or seaweed can be taken anywhere around the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, including all of Te Haruhi and Ōkoromai bays. Kina are the exception.

What are the gate hours?
6am to 9pm during daylight saving and 6am to 7pm the rest of the year. You can drive out after closing but not in.

Can I bring my dog?
Not into the open sanctuary, even in your car. Army Bay and Ōkoromai Bay have seasonal dog rules instead.

What can you catch around Shakespear?
Local tackle reports for the peninsula mention snapper, kahawai and gurnard, with kingfish taken off the rocks on live baits.

Can I use a set net?
Not within 200 m of Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay beaches from 20 December to 31 March. Outside that time council’s set-net rules apply.

Is it Shakespear or Shakespeare?
Shakespear, after the family who farmed the land from 1883. Since June 2026 the park’s dual name is Te Hāruhi / Shakespear Regional Park.

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