Kitekite Track is a bush walk in the Waitākere Ranges on Queen Street, Piha, climbing through native forest to Kitekite Falls. It carries a 4.6 Google rating, with track maps and closure notices posted on Auckland Council's regional parks site.
West coast bush tracks reward a little preparation. They run steep, rooted and often muddy after rain, so shoes with real grip earn their keep, and it pays to check the council site before setting out, because sections close after storms and for kauri protection. Cleaning stations at track entrances matter too: scrubbing boots helps slow kauri dieback, the disease that decides which paths in these ranges stay open. Regulars start in the morning, pack togs for a dip below the falls, and accept that west coast water stays bracing even in summer.
Minutes from Piha village and its black-sand surf beach, the track makes a natural companion to a day on this stretch of coast.