Motukaraka Island

Beachlands is an outer suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, established in the 1920s, where development increased in the 1950s due to its popularity as a beach holiday destination. It is located on the "Pohutukawa Coast" and in close proximity to Maraetai. While connected to Auckland's waste water reticulation, all the properties collect their own rain water. Some properties have tapped into the underlying aquifers fed from the adjacent Maraetai-Brookby range of hills. No potable rivers are utilised for potable water locally. Many English migrants and increasing numbers of South Africans have moved into the area in recent years. Houses in old Beachlands often come with a quarter of an acre of land. The housing ranges from cliff top mansions to rambling and somewhat run down baches. The newer areas of Pine Harbour, Spinnaker Bay and Pony Park contain modern houses, generally with smaller gardens than in old Beachlands. District plan minimum size is 700 square metres for a section (piece of land), although some subdivisions were approved during a brief period which saw some in-fill housing (more sections in a given area). The fully serviced marina at Pine Harbour includes a ferry service to central Auckland with 20 departures per day in each direction on Mondays to Fridays. In 2015, the 570-berth Pine Harbour Marina and some 9 hectares of associated land were sold for $22 million. Natural attractions in the immediate area include Sunkist Bay Beach, Shelly Beach and Snapper Rock. The Domain is the small park in the centre of Beachlands on the corner of Beachlands Road, Sunkist Bay Road and Karaka Road. Offshore, Motukaraka Island (also known as Flat Top Island or Flat Island) is located near the entrance to Pine Harbour Marina and is accessible at low tide. It is a short walk from the shore. Te Puru Sports Centre, located in Te Puru Park between Beachlands and Maraetai, is the base for the Te Puru Keas (junior cubs), Cubs, Scouts and Venturers. A gym, tennis, sports fields and a large indoor arena provide a cultural centre that unites Beachlands and neighbouring Maraetai into 'the Pohutukawa Coast' community. The Te Puru Centre was initiated by local effort and fundraising and completed with a 50% grant from former Manukau City Mayor Sir Barry Curtis.A walkway/cycle-way runs between Maraetai and Beachlands following the coast through Omana and Te Puru.

Tūranga Creek, also known as the Tūranga River or Tūranga Estuary, is a stream and tidal estuary in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. The township of Whitford was founded at the navigable headlands of the creek.

Cockle Bay is an eastern suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is in the Howick ward, one of the 13 administrative divisions of Auckland city and currently under governance of the Auckland Council. The high school of the area is Howick College, a decile 8 school of the Howick area. The primary schools of the area are Cockle Bay School and Shelly Park Primary School.

Waipaparoa / Howick Beach is a beach in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located in Howick.

Shelly Park is a South eastern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. The suburb is in the Howick ward, one of thirteen electoral divisions of the Auckland Council. It is named after the beach of the same name. Shelly Park Cruising Club (SPCC) is a yacht club at this beach which also offers dry docking facilities and the beach is an access point to the estuary where boats are moored. The beach is also one end of a nature walkway - Mangemangeroa Reserve - which runs from there to Somerville Road.

The Pōhutukawa Coast is an area of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. The area covers townships south of the Tāmaki Strait: Whitford, Beachlands, Maraetai and Umupuia. The area was traditionally known as Maraetai, and is within the rohe of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. In the 1920s, seasonal holiday communities developed in the area, which became permanent residential towns by the 1950s.

Mangemangeroa Creek is a tidal estuary and stream in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. The creek forms a border between metropolitan East Auckland and the rural countryside around Whitford.

Ayrlies Garden is a country garden near Whitford, southeast of Auckland on the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's best-known gardens, and has been described as the "quintessential New Zealand garden". The New Zealand Gardens Trust has rated it a six star garden, its highest rating.The garden now covers some 12 acres (49,000 m2) of rolling terrain, with large lawns, ponds and waterways, and heavily planted informal borders which make strong use of colour, including a "lurid border" of 'hot' colours. Some areas feature roses, clematis and perennials; others contain lush, sub-tropical plants, such as Petrea, Alocasia, bromeliads, vireya rhododendrons and Ficus dammaropsis. It also includes many large trees - mostly liquidambar, swamp cypress and pin oak - which have grown rapidly in the warm and wet climate, with rare frosts and over 50 inches (1.3 m) of rain a year. It contains several structures around the main house, including a small 'sitooterie' - a low gazebo, to sit out in and admire the view. The large site is unified by a consistent planting and use of materials. The garden was created by Beverly McConnell and her late husband Malcolm, co-founder of New Zealand engineering and construction company McConnell Dowell. It is named after Malcolm McConnell's grandfather's farm in Scotland. The garden began in 1964, when the McConnells moved to the site with their young family, starting with a 3-acre (12,000 m2) coastal site which was previously bare paddock with a heavy clay soil, and expanding to 12 acres (49,000 m2) in 1978, including the addition of three large ponds. From 2000, 35 acres (140,000 m2) of swamp flats below the homestead were transformed into a wetland area with an 8-acre (32,000 m2) lake, linking the garden to the Hauraki Gulf nearby.The garden is open to the public on weekdays, for a fee.

Ōmana Regional Park is situated south-east of Auckland and just west of Maraetai, in the Franklin area of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is owned and managed by Auckland Council.

Cockle Bay School is a primary school serving the community of Cockle Bay, which is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.

All Saints’ Church in Howick was the first parish church in Auckland and is the oldest building in Manukau. It can be found on the corner of Cook Street and Selwyn Road in the suburb of Howick, New Zealand. The Church was built in November 1847 at a cost of 147 pounds, 3 shillings and 9 pence. The first service was held in the church on 21 November 1847, although the roof had not been finished at that stage. It was the first building to be erected in Howick. Originally built to a cruciform plan, the nave was enlarged in 1862. The Lych gate (erected in 1930) is a memorial to those who served in the New Zealand Militias during the Land Wars of the 1860s. The building was designed by the Rev. Frederick Thatcher and pre-built in St Johns, before being moved by sea, (the easiest method of the time), to Howick where it was finally assembled. It is listed as a Category I Historic Place.

Howick College is a state co-educational secondary school located in the eastern Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Cockle Bay. Serving Years 9 to 13, the school has a roll of 2114 students as of February 2023.