Shakespear Park: Poetically Beautiful

The highlight of one of our early days on the North Island was a visit to Shakespear (yes, NO “e” on the end) Regional Park. It is described as an “open sanctuary integrating conservation, recreation and farming….providing a pest free habitat and a safe home for wildlife.” It is 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. It is in a word – magnificent. We spent a number of hours hiking through what seemed like endless rolling hills of unspoiled meadows, surrounded by sprigs of gorgeous trees, vistas of islands and bodies of water all around, and the sounds of birds of all vocal ranges whispering and shouting as we passed.