7 of the Best locations for Family Photos in Auckland
“Where should we have our family photo shoot?” It’s one of the questions I field most often from parents looking to book an outdoor family photo shoot. Luckily, Aucklanders are spoilt for choice with a variety of beaches, urban landscapes and parks right on our door steps.
For dramatic scenery and glowing sunsets you truly can’t go past Auckland’s ruggedly beautiful west coast beaches: Muriwai, Bethells Beach, Piha, and Karekare. But those locations call for long and winding drives for most city dwellers and the unpredictable winds and weather systems of the west coast mean that you do have to keep a very close eye on your little ones while we shoot.
So in this post I’m going to focus on 7 kid friendly, easy to get to locations that are great for family sessions regardless of the season. These are without doubt my most requested locations.
Location 1: St Heliers Beach
St Heliers is one of the beaches I shoot at most frequently - partly because I have a lot of eastern suburbs clients and partly because it’s just super family friendly.
It is a little bit “seaweedy”, but you’re likely to find a clear patch of sand even at high tide. One of the things families love here is the rockpools and formations. This gives adventurous little ones something to explore without the danger of the unpredictable crashing waves you have at the west coast beaches.
At low tide the jutting rocks also give you somewhere to perch for a family photo, and you have the added benefit of getting Rangitoto in the background too. Despite being an east coast beach you can still adjust your angle enough to capture the sun going down over Auckland city and nearby Mission Bay. St Heliers is also a relatively long strip of sand so it’s pretty easy to find a spot without too many strangers in the background. This is made even easier if you choose to have your family session during the cooler months when Auckland’s beaches are less crowded in general.
There is a playground at the end of St Heliers Beach, but it’s best to leave promises of that until after you’ve finished your session, lest you distract your little ones from the seaside action.
To find out more about the best times of day for an outdoor photo shoot, check out this post.
Location 2: Kohimarama beach
Also off Tamaki Drive, next door to St Heliers Beach (and sharing some of its wide board walk) is Kohimarama Beach. This relatively sheltered bay has a yacht club at one end and looks down to Mission Bay at the other. Again it offers rock formations and pools to explore and usually has a small strip of sand, even at high tide. The angle of the bay affords you views of Rangitoto, North head and Mission Bay. The water is gentle, making it fine for photos of little ones dipping a toe in.
This time there’s no playground to draw the attention of your little ones away from the job at hand, but the downside is that this beach seems to be more popular than it’s neighbour with dog walkers, so you may find yourself fighting for space to yourselves. However dogs are meant to be on-leash at all times, so you should be ok if you have a pooch-wary child.
Wondering what to wear for a winter family photo shoot at the beach? I’ve got you covered in this article.
Location 3: Pt Chevalier Beach
Scoot round the city and head a little further west and you hit Pt Chevalier beach. What I like about Pt Chev is that it is situated right below Coyle Park, which means you have the option of greenery and a tree line right next to the beach. This will help to add variety to your session, but be warned that Coyle Park is absolutely heaving with people during the summer.
Pt Chev also offers beautiful sunsets, having slightly more of a westerly aspect. The downside is that when the tide is out it’s waaaaaaaaaay out and when the tide is in there is virtually no beach left to use, so you really have to set your date and time around the tide charts.
Pt Chev is also very popular for dog walkers (although less so though than nearby off leash park, Meola Reef dog park), so if you have a little one that is easily spooked by dogs this may not be the best spot for you to relax in.
Location 4: Cornwall Park
For the ultimate in year-round variety you can’t beat Cornwall Park. There is so much room to run around, and even in its busiest season (spring, when the cherry blossoms are out) you can find a quiet corner somewhere in the park to call your own. Plus there are cows and sheep to entertain the curious little ones and plenty of gorgeous Moreton Bay Fig trees (alongside NZ natives) to climb and adventure over.
Cornwall park offers a lot of greenery, but there’s also magical looking woodland style areas, the blue-grey stone work of the Rangitoto Stairs, the cherry blossom lane (when it’s in bloom and you’re ready to fight the crowds), the olive grove, the wisteria covered arch, and a whole field of magnolias, just to name a few! Honestly there’s something for everyone - you just have to decide what sort of nature you’re most keen on.
One of my favourite things about Cornwall Park is that you can shoot there almost any time of the day because there’s plenty of shade to be found. Unlike at the beach where you really have to limit yourself to golden hour in order to avoid harsh sun. To learn more about how time of day affects the look of your photos read this post.
One word of warning, it’s one of those locations where you’ll want to walk around a bit to get variety, so don’t bring anything you don’t want to carry. While there are a couple of public toilets for changing outfits, it’s always best if you can come prepared. For my tips on what to wear for a family photo shoot, check out this blog post.
Location 5: Castor Bay
Heading over the bridge to Auckland’s north shore, Castor Bay is one of my favourites to shoot at. This sheltered bay offers kid friendly exploration on the rocks, views out to Rangitoto and the shelter of some large pohutukawa on the cliff face. It’s quieter than neighbouring beaches Milford or Campbell’s Bay and typically affords a little more shade than the other beaches nearby making it easier to photograph slightly earlier than golden hour.
Location 6: Cheltenham beach
For uninterrupted views of Rangitoto you can’t really go past Cheltenham Beach. This long strip of sand nestled between North Head and Narrow Neck features character homes along the length and provides lovely sunset skies despite not being a western beach. There is a rocky outcrop to perch on at the North Head end of the beach and then a long expanse of sand to park yourself on and play.
Location 7: Devonport
Devonport is one of those lovely little spots that can offer so much variety within a short stroll. There’s character buildings, beach front, the wharf, and mountainside all in one location. The colours here are vivid if you shoot during the day, and there’s not all that much shade available so do think about your timing. But if you want bright, colourful and fun with high contrast this is a great vibrant spot for your family.
Bonus: Omaha beach
Ok, so this one would typically fall into the “long drive” category, being more than an hour outside of the CBD, but I spend a lot of time at this beautiful beach north of Auckland and I’ve photographed a number of families there as a result. So if you’re looking for a photographer to capture your family at their relaxed best in Omaha then I’m your gal!
Despite (once again) not being west facing, the beach does have beautiful colour-filled skies at sunset and offers sand dunes, boardwalks and wide expanses of sandy beach to photograph on. I also love taking super wide angled shots out on the rockpools while my families adventure and explore. The colours here can’t be beat and it’s worth scheduling a longer session to make the most of the chance to wander and explore boardwalks and rocks.
Some final considerations…
At the end of the day pick a location that feels meaningful to your family. It doesn’t have to be a big park or a popular beach. There are awesome pocket parks and reserves scattered all over Auckland’s suburbs and it doesn’t take much to make an incredible location out of a beautiful line of trees and some open grass!
This Auckland City Council webpage shows you how to find parks and reserves near you to check out before you book your shoot.
Also consider your drive time to get there (little kids often fall asleep in the car - do you want that or will it make them grumpier for the shoot?). And think about whether or not you’ll need to take tides, dogs or events into account.
I hope this list of some of my favourite Auckland locations has helped you narrow down your options. Remember, I’m always here to help and happy to discuss the pros and cons of any location choice with you in advance of your session!
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