Native bush and blue sea frame the Leigh Coastal Walkway's path. Photo / Supplied
In search of NZ’s warmest weather this winter? Sleepy Leigh is the hottest spot in Aotearoa, Ewan McDonald writes.
He looked like a stranger in town.
Heavy-jowled; prominent teeth set in what might pass for a grin, more likely a grimace; thick-skinned, heavy-legged and unmoving; gaze unblinking and observing. Atlantic energy, I thought, not Pacific.
He was a stranger here. Because the first thing most people say when you mention Leigh is, “Oh, I’ve been to Goat Island”.
Yet, just a few metres above the home of the nation’s most protected sea- and bird- and plant life, lives an apex predator: the American alligator.
More on him later.
There are many good reasons for spending a weekend in this village 75 minutes north of the Harbour Bridge. The first: it’s so close and yet so far from Auckland. The second: expect the unexpected.
Drive past bougie Matakana and avoid turning off to the millionaires’ beaches (oops, inflation: billionaires’ bays). Drowsy Leigh is 10km further on and decades further back, all tiny coves and pōhutukawa and hills rolling down to the harbour and old-timey baches-that-grew as families did.
They don’t shout about it but this is the hottest spot in Aotearoa. Literally: Earth Sciences NZ reports Leigh recorded the mainland’s highest annual average temperature in 2025, 17.7C. For context, the nationwide average is 13.5C.
Closeness to Auckland – and other northern centres – make it an easy getaway. Go for a day trip. Better still, make a weekend of it: the town at the top of the Hauraki Gulf, still operating as a fishing village with a working port, has plenty more to offer families or friends or couples than its natural charms.
Quirky places, like Ti Point Reptile Park, where I encountered that American alligator. In the late 60s, Ivan Borich wanted to create a zoo; that didn’t work out but he hit on the idea of creating the country’s only … what it says on the skin, reptile park.
Follow the path through native bush, taking in ocean views, and you’ll meet the locals – tuatara, skinks, geckos – as well as tortoises, turtles, chameleons, water dragons and more in a warm-hearted introduction to cold-blooded creatures. Kid heaven. Especially, small-boy heaven.
Down on the shore, Goat Island Marine Discovery Centre is another must-take-them interactive experience with jaw-dropping videos or microscope viewings, and hands-on time with Aotearoa’s marine life and the scientists who study and protect them.
Kids, and once-were-kids, hold kina, get close to kōura and wander through the sound corridor, an oceanic symphony of shrimp snapping, kina munching and whale songs. (Pro tip: brilliant school holiday programmes fill up fast – book now for July.) For those who want to get on or in the water, there are snorkel, boat and kayak opportunities.
While you’re feeling mildly energetic, the Goat Island Coastal Walk (1.5km, 45-60min one way) runs from the seafront to the clifftop with views to Pakiri. It drops into a native forest valley and finishes at Tabletop Reef with more spectacular views over the gulf, Little Barrier and the Hen and Chicken islands.
Another option – there are quite a few – is the Leigh Coastal Walkway (2.6km, an hour each way). Starting at the town’s cemetery, the pōhutukawa-fringed path gives a panorama from the harbour to Tāwharanui, Coromandel Peninsula and the barrier islands.
Cross your fingers and you may see dolphins, orcas or whales. Like most coastal trails, it’s up and down but a comfortable walk. (Pro tip: dogs on a lead; this is kororā penguin country.)
You’ve earned a late lunch. That town down the road may have the fancy-pants cafes and artisan bakeries; family friendly Leigh Eats prides itself on capturing our laid-back, friendly Kiwi vibe. Burgers, toasties, salads.
At the risk of upsetting the chef, don’t stay put. Get fish ’n’ chips to go from Leigh Eats because the fish comes from the harbour, courtesy of Leigh Fisheries. Take them over the hill and down a couple of 15km bends to stunning Mathesons Bay and eat it where fish ’n’ chips should be eaten, on the beach under the trees.
Ever noticed that, when we’re somewhere new, we gravitate towards a local gallery when we’d rarely do that at home? A few steps up the street from the cafe, Foundation Gallery has re-imagined a shop as a community gallery and arts space.
Coastal villages seem to attract artists – it must be the light, the placidity, the community embrace – and this one is a gem. Bring Google Wallet.
Artistic to artisan: Sawmill Brewery has been crafting beer using NZ hops and malted barleys for 20 years. Its premises also house the Smoko Room, offering “food with gumption”, 14 tap beers and organic NZ wines.
Oh, you thought I’d forgotten. Leigh is famous for something other than the marine sanctuary. We’re not supposed to use this word in the Herald, but the Sawmill Cafe is genuinely iconic.
Run by the Guinness family from 1996-2018 and from 2023, it can fairly claim to have hosted good times, great food and music through decades.
Not just pub bands covering April Sun in Cuba; some of the biggest … sorry, BIGGEST names have made their way here because, well, because it’s the Sawmill.
Don’t be thinking it’s just a raucous rock ’n’ roll pub. The family has always set out to create a safe space for young and old, with a garden setting and kiddie play area. Lucky to find an Uber out here at the end of the night, but there are three studios in an old woodshed.
Stay, just a little bit longer …
Leigh Central Coastels are stylish, self-contained motel units and boatshed cabins in the village, like having a beach house where you don’t have to clean the barbecue. There’s also a two-bedroom cottage and boutique motorhome/caravan park.
Next time you hear an Aucklander whinging they don’t get anything for their rates, send them to Whangateau Holiday Park, the council’s classic Kiwi set-up right on the harbour: luxury waterfront bach with pōhutukawa-framed deck, family cabins, caravans, budget units sleeping up to five, powered campsites.
Just a little north, family owned Pakiri Holiday Park makes the most of its 14km white-sand front yard. Premium lodge, beachfront cabins, glamping, motel units and classic campsites.
And just like that, winter becomes tolerable again.
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