Sunnyhills is a suburb of East Auckland, New Zealand, located on the eastern banks of the Tāmaki River near Pakuranga.

[3][4] The shoreline along Sunnyhills at Sanctuary Point is notable for its deposits of white volcanic tephra at the base of the cliffs.

Tāiki settled with his followers along the eastern shores of the Tāmaki River, alongside the descendants of Huiārangi of the early iwi Te Tini ō Maruiwi.

[7] Ngāi Tai created extensive cultivations along the eastern shores of the Tāmaki River.

[9] During the Musket Wars in the 1820s, members of Ngāi Tai fled to the Waikato for temporary refuge.

[14] In 1854 when Fairburn's purchase was investigated by the New Zealand Land Commission, a Ngāi Tai reserve was created around the Wairoa River and Umupuia areas, and as a part of the agreement, members of Ngāi Tai agreed to leave their traditional settlements to the west.

[16] In 1847, Howick was established as a defensive outpost for Auckland, by fencibles (retired British Army soldiers) and their families.

[17] By the latter 19th Century, the Pakuranga area had developed English countryside, dominated by poplar, oak and willow trees.

Sunnyhills was lauded for the individual designs of houses, and for modern features such as underground telephone and power cables.