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Dear Malcolm
Hate to give you a lesson in geography but the place you see directly opposite Port Albert is a little settlement called Oruawharo. You can see the church and cemetery, the school (now closed) and the marae.
I know, because I was brought up there (finally, a claim to fame on this website!).
If you are kayaking, the Oruawharo beach is one of the few hard landings in the Kaipara, i.e. you can beach without having a boat ramp.
If you are suggesting going from Port Albert round to Hargreaves (did you have to tell the world about this place??) - a word of caution - the tidal ebb and flow once you round the headland can cause a few problems - you are directly out into the open harbour - and you could find yourself halfway to Australia before you know it!
Also, like you said, a lot of those places are privately owned. There are also a lot of maori reserves in the area. There are sites of old homesteads and pa that were abandoned once coastal shipping died; but also ones that were razed when the occupants died in the 14-18 flu epidemic. So all you JAFA's, please ask first before kayaking into the Kaipara, you could cause a lot of offence without meaning it. And watch the tides.
As a matter of interest, Hargreaves Bay was a site of community action in the good old days! It was close to Rev. Gittos mission station in the Kaipara. They used to host the most amazing New Years Day picnics from around the district - photos show women dressed up in victoriana, under parasols. I think the photos are either at Matakohe Museum or Wellsford District Museum.
Wendy 😉