St Leonards Bay is a well-loved beach off Saint Leonards Road in Hauraki on Auckland's North Shore, rated 4.7 by 157 Google reviewers. Regulars love it as an off-leash dog spot at low tide, though many note the sand all but vanishes at high water and the approach is down about a hundred steep steps.
The tide is everything at a beach like this. The same bay can be a wide run for dogs at low water and a rocky fringe at high, so check a tide chart before setting out. East-facing gulf beaches catch the sunrise well, which is when dog walkers tend to have them to themselves. Steep access is common along this coast, so anyone with limited mobility should plan ahead, and carry rubbish out as bins are often only at the top.
For Hauraki locals with a dog and an eye on the tide, it's one of the North Shore's handiest patches of sand.