Last updated November 2026
Fear of a Russian attack put two six-inch disappearing guns into circular pits on the Narrow Neck headland, where they guarded the approaches to the Rangitoto Channel. Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve, also known by its Māori name O Peretu, sits on Vauxhall Road beside Narrow Neck Beach on Auckland’s North Shore.
The Department of Conservation looks after the reserve, and you can wander its grassed area past the brick barracks, the concrete Examination Battery structures on the clifftop and other wartime remains.
DOC opens the inside of the fort only for special events, and guided tours can be arranged through the Forts of Auckland. DOC also points out the views over the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island.
Practical Information
- Location
- Vauxhall Road, beside Narrow Neck Beach, North Shore, Auckland
- Address
- 2 to 14 Gillespie Place and Vauxhall Road, Narrow Neck (as listed by Heritage New Zealand)
- Access
- Open grassed reserve with no formal track; DOC says the inside of the fort is open to the public only during special events, and guided tours can be arranged through the Forts of Auckland
- Entry
- Free
- Getting there
- Ferry from downtown Auckland to Devonport, then about 40 minutes on foot along the waterfront; buses to Takapuna via Narrow Neck also pass nearby
- Facilities
- No toilets on the reserve; facilities are at Narrow Neck Beach
- Managed by
- Department of Conservation
- Heritage status
- Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place (List number 86), listed as Fort Takapuna / O Peretu
- Status
- Check the Department of Conservation’s Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve page before you go.
About Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve
The headland’s older name, O Peretu, recalls Peretu, an ancestor whose name survives in several places on the North Shore. The Department of Conservation describes the site as a lookout and defence point for hundreds of years, first for Māori and later for European settlers.
Fear of a Russian attack in the 1880s brought new defences to Auckland’s harbour approaches, and work on Fort Takapuna began in that decade. The fort was armed with two six-inch guns on hydro-pneumatic mountings, the so-called disappearing guns, set in circular pits that commanded the approaches through the Rangitoto Channel. Smaller Nordenfelt quick-firing guns covered the fort’s flanks.
In the 1920s the old fort was turned into a naval ammunition depot, with magazines added inside. The army took the site back once the Navy had a new munitions store at Kauri Point.
In 1938 it became an Examination Battery controlling the harbour anchorage, with new concrete gun emplacements on the clifftop, and the engine room that powered the searchlights was modernised.
After coast artillery was abolished in the late 1950s the site was renamed Fort Cautley, and from 1963 the Royal New Zealand Navy used it as part of HMNZS Tamaki for training. Heritage New Zealand ranks Fort Takapuna, alongside Fort Jervois, as the best preserved fort of the Russian scare era.
What to See
The Department of Conservation’s history of the fort describes what remains: the two circular gun pits in the underground part of the fort, the brick barracks with its castellated roofline, the engine room and searchlight positions, and the concrete Examination Battery emplacements and magazines near the playing fields. An observation post stands above the old fort.
The Department of Conservation says the inside of the fort is open to the public only during special events, and that guided tours can be arranged through the Forts of Auckland.
Visiting the Reserve
There are steep drop-offs along the clifftop and around some of the historic structures, so keep children close. Fires and camping are not allowed, and nothing on the site should be disturbed or taken. Dogs are not allowed between 9am and 7pm from the Saturday of Labour Weekend to Easter Monday.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve?
On Vauxhall Road beside Narrow Neck Beach, on Auckland’s North Shore. DOC gives it as a 40 minute walk from Devonport.
Where does the name O Peretu come from?
It is the headland’s Māori name and recalls Peretu, an ancestor remembered in several North Shore place names.
Why was the fort built?
It was built in the 1880s, when Auckland feared a Russian naval attack, to guard the approaches through the Rangitoto Channel.
What guns did the fort have?
Two six-inch disappearing guns on hydro-pneumatic mountings, with smaller Nordenfelt quick-firing guns protecting the flanks.
Can you go inside the fort?
Only at special events, says the Department of Conservation. Guided tours can be arranged through the Forts of Auckland.
When did the Navy arrive?
In 1963 the Royal New Zealand Navy moved its HMNZS Tamaki training school to the site.
Are dogs allowed?
Not between 9am and 7pm from the Saturday of Labour Weekend to Easter Monday.
Is there a toilet at the reserve?
No. The nearest facilities are at Narrow Neck Beach.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Related links 3
- Department of Conservation: Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve: getting there, rules and a short history of the reserve.
- Department of Conservation: History of Fort Takapuna: the guns, searchlights, magazines and what remains on site.
- Heritage New Zealand: Fort Takapuna / O Peretu: the full list entry with the fort’s construction and later uses.