Permanent Orienteering Courses

A permanent orienteering course consists of a map of an area with a series of controls (checkpoints) marked on it. These correspond to markers on the ground, such as posts or orange and white labels. Participants navigate around the course, practising their map reading and exploring the area at their own pace. These courses are available for anyone to try or practice orienteering at any time of the year.

The wider Auckland area has several permanent orienteering courses set up in regional parks, maintained by Auckland Council. Maps can often be found at the notice board at the park entrance, or can be downloaded here.

North of Auckland

North West Orienteering Club has been involved in the development of the following permanent orienteering maps.

Ātiu Creek Regional Park

Atiu Creek Regional Park is 113 kilometres north of Auckland CBD. The property lies on the Kaipara Harbour, on the Okahukura (Tapora) peninsula. There are 40 controls spread over the park.

You can download the information and map below, or get them from the noticeboard at the park.

Ātiu Creek information Ātiu Creek map

Mahurangi Regional Park

Mahurangi Regional Park consists of steep farmland and scattered bush, 65 kilometres north of Auckland's CBD, six kilometres past Wenderholm Regional Park. There are 20 controls spread over the park. Controls 1-11 (in the north of the park) are separated from controls 12-20 (in the south) by the Te Muri estuary, which can only be crossed two hours either side of low tide. Please check tides before you start the course.

You can download the information and map below, or get them from the noticeboard at the park.

Mahurangi information Mahurangi map

Shakespear Regional Park

Shakespear Regional Park is a farm and nature park located at the tip of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, and is named after the Shakespear family which bought the land in the 1880s from local Maori. The park includes the Tamaki Leadership Centre, a Royal New Zealand Navy base.

We have added a permanent set of orienteering markers at Shakespear Park (October 2023). These consist of small wooden markers with a number followed by a two letter code (for example, 58-JP). The control sites are basic (yellow / orange difficulty level) and set as a rogaine, but you can also select some controls and design your own orienteering course. Some parts of the map are physically challenging. For the full set of rogaine controls you could allow a suggested time of 3 hours, but subsets in less time are also options.

Ideally print the map at A3 size for the correct scale, but it is readable at A4 for those without fading eyesight!

Areas marked with pink stripes are out of bounds (other than official walking tracks), to protect native bush from Kauri dieback.

Shakespear map

South of Auckland

Counties Manukau Orienteering Club has been involved in the development of the following permanent orienteering maps.

Āwhitu Regional Park

Āwhitu Regional Park is 104 kilometres (an hour and a half) south from central Auckland.

There are 29 controls spread over the park, including an example marker by the noticeboard.

Āwhitu information Āwhitu map

Duder Regional Park

Duder Regional Park is located on the pōhutukawa-fringed Whakakaiwhara Peninsula, which cuts out into the Tamaki Strait. You may feel like you're on your own island as you enjoy the 360 degree views of the surrounding hills, Hunua Ranges and Hauraki Gulf islands.

There are 24 controls spread over the park.

Duder information Duder map