Devonport Things to Do

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Cheltenham Beach is a long sandy beach in the beautiful Auckland suburb on Devonport, which can be reached from downtown Auckland either by ferry or by road in about 20 minutes.

Cheltenham Beach is backed by greenery and some impressive seaside mansions with gardens that stretch right down to the sand.

Arguably the best view of the beach is to be had from North Head, a grassy volcanic peak at the southern end of the beach.

The beach is a mixture of sand and small sea shells and there was a lot of seaweed washed up on the beach at the time of my visit. The sea is fairly clear and is shallow and calm.

My guidebook suggested that the best time for swimming here is between late December and mid March. I visited in late March 2006 and, despite it being a nice sunny day, I passed only a handful of people on the beach - mainly people taking a stroll or walking their dogs, although I did see a few hardy souls sunbathing!

The beach is natural and undeveloped - there are no tourist facilities or food kiosks lining the beach and, at least at the time of my visit, no watersports.

There are excellent views from the beach across to the volcanic island of Rangitoto.

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Devonport has plenty of shops to wander and cafes to visit, and some nice buildings.
We enjoyed this secondhand bookshop in the main street where a part of one interior wall was grafitiied with quotes, some famous, some not.

Berthed down at Devonport Wharf is Captain Cooks replica ship the ‘Bark Endeavour’. It is open daily for tours.

The HM Bark Endeavour was the first ship to establish longitude accurately at sea by means of newly published nautical tables. The ship was also the first to complete a long voyage without anyone dying of scurvy.

One of the two volcanic peaks in Devonport with commanding views of Auckland city, North Head and Rangitoto and the gulf.

The hill sits as a back rest to the shopping centre which gently slopes down to the waterfront. A walk to the top will take about 10-20 mins, but it is possible to drive to the top.

The Devonport Library has a lot of photographs and material related to the history of Devonport. They have been in this building on Windsor Reserve since 1954 and are just near the Visitor information centre.

The reserve down by the Ferry Terminal is not only enjoyable at any time of year but it is also a great place for many events held in Devonport. The tourist information centre is also on the reserve as well as a children's playground and a petanque area

This war memorial is on the reserve in Devonport. The bronze statue on the top is called the ‘untidy soldier’ and the sculptor himself was a returned soldier (Frank Lynch) who served at Gallipoli and France. This was his vision of a Kiwi ‘digger’ who was about to evacuate Gallipoli and his gaunt face looking back to the memory of his dead mates as he dips his hat. His clothes are deliberately not pressed and clean looking as it represents more those that passed the test of battle rather than passed the ‘spit and polish’ test.

Jacksons Muzeum is located in the old Devonport Post office. This museum has collectables, automobilia, and Victoriana. There is something like 15,000 unusual exhibits. Don't ask me what the Telephone box is doing on the roof.

Open: Wednesdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. 10 am - 5.30 pm.