Despite the occasional glimpses of the Manukau, arriving at the shore was a surprise. One minute we are driving through farmland, the next we are on the coast.
The newly sealed road swoops between unusually shaped conical hills, steep-sided and ridged with the pathways of sheep. And suddenly you're at the sea. Castaways commands a magnificent headland with uninterrupted views of the never-ending rollers of the Tasman, finally finding land. It's a mesmerising view, the winter green of the ocean broken by the lines of surf.
Not having booked, we were lucky to get a table at Castaways' restaurant, Agave.
My 10-year-old daughter was taken with the dish names on her children's menu: henny penny, shark attack, hot diggity dog and jelly belly, settling after some debate for the henny penny - crumbed chicken and salad. I too ordered the chicken, called the Earle's Stack and served with bacon and ciabatta.
Sated and warmed by hot chocolate, we left our car in the carpark - looking a little forlorn next to a stately Bentley - and headed to the beach.
Exposed on the outer edge of the southern Manukau, the wind here is bracing. It's a humbling shore - the marching lines of incoming breakers fading to storm-tossed mist in the distance, barely a sign of human habitation to be seen.
The sand is black, rich in iron. The Waikato North Head Mine provides more than a million tonnes of sand a year. It is processed and piped to the Glenbrook Steel Mill. You can take a guided tour of the factory but we stopped at a viewing area and were awed by the huge chimney releasing clouds of vapour into the frigid air.
Then we pointed our nose north again, having barely touched this interesting little corner of Auckland, keen to return on another Sunday.
DRIVE TIME
Karioitahi Beach is about 70km, or an hour's drive from Auckland's CBD.
You can book lunch at Agave restaurant at Castaways Lodge, 685 Karioitahi Road, Karioitahi Beach, Waiuku. Phone: 09 236 5041 ext 4.
