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Surf, Swim and Relax On New Zealand's Beaches and Bays At The Edge
Gisborne's city beaches include Midway and Waikanae, seen above with Young Nicks Head in the distance. TE KAHA (Gisborne 264k; Opotiki 70k) Te Kaha’s superb beaches and bays offer great fishing, swimming and boating. Petrol and postal facilities are available as well as restaurants, bars, gas bottle fills and accomodation including motels, motorcamp, cabins, backpackers and Te Kaha Hotel. WHANARUA BAY (Gisborne 246k; Opotiki 88k) Secluded and picturesque, Whanarua bay being is a great setting for swimming, fishing and diving. Picnics, native bush walks, waterfalls and glow-worms will be enjoyed by the whole family. WAIHAU BAY (Gisborne 227k; Opotiki 107k) Offers everything from rocky inlets to sandy beaches. Facilities include a boat ramp and jetty, being an excellent place for line-fishing. There is also a lodge, petrol and postal facilities and fishing charter available. ORUAITI BEACH (Gisborne 226k; Opotiki 108k) Oruaiti Beach offers a safe environment for swimming and fishing trips. There is also a holiday park close by with cabins, caravans, power and tent sites. Bed and breakfast and homestays are available. Lovely beach, great for fishing. Farmstay. Lottin Point is 4km from the main highway. The area has excellent deepwater fishing for both skindivers and line fishermen and there are quiet bays and rocky outcrops to relax in. A motel is situated in the area and the views are amazing. HICKS BAY and ONEPOTO BAY (Gisborne 186k; Opotiki 148k) The superb scenery and variety of activities on offer, from bushwalks with giant puriri trees, to deep sea fishing. Swimming, fishing and diving can be enjoyed and for accomodation there is a motel and restaurant and backpackers lodge with horse trekking. Petrol, postal facilities, store, take-aways. For the fisherman there is beach fishing, boat fishing, rock fishing and scuba fishing around the many rocky ledges. The hard sand beaches allow easy boat launching while swimming here is safe. Here is some of the clearest water in New Zealand for fishing and scuba diving. TE ARAROA (Gisborne 174k; Opotiki 160k) Here stands the largest and oldest pohutukawa tree in New Zealand. There is great fishing to be had and a motorcamp with movie theatre, store, petrol and postal facilities is available. WAIPIRO BAY (Gisborne 110k)
Waipiro Bay is a spacious and stunningly beautiful bay accessed via a 6km unsealed loop road off the highway. Once a busy coastal shipping town, Waipiro Bay village is now almost deserted. A good fishing, surfing and diving beach. Bush lodge, horse trekking. Maori history and culture is very eveident inTokomaru Bay. Great fishing and surfing are on offer but care should be taken when swimming. Accomodation includes the back-packers, farmstay, modern tavern and restaurant and motor camp, and there are petrol, postal facilities, store, and take-aways. ANAURA BAY (Gisborne 77k, Opotiki 264k)
This beautiful beach full of golden sand is an excellent location for swimming and fishing. Rocky headlands and native bush provide great walking tracks and there is a motor camp situated nearby. KAIAUA BEACH (Gisborne 60k; Opotiki 274k) 6km off SH35. Kaiaua beach is excellent for fishing, swimming and picnics. There is a farm-stay, and the annual beach horse races are held here in the summer. The beaches here are suitable for swimming, trout and sea fishing and picnics. It is the busiest village on the coast with a very long jetty, several shops, hotel, motel, tea rooms, motorcamp, petrol, postal, and banking facilities. Fishing charters operate from Tolaga Bay also. There is a return scenic walkway down to COOK'S COVE near Tolaga Bay. Here you will find the ‘Hole-In-The-Wall’ and relaxing pools and inlets to wade in. Lovely scenic views. WAIHAU BEACH (Gisborne 42k; Opotiki 292k) Also known as "Loisel's", Waihau Beach offers tranquillity, shade, good surfing, fishing and safe swimming from a beautiful, sandy beach. This sheltered, sandy beach is rich in Maori history. The village is 5km from the highway. POUAWA and TURIHAUA (Gisborne 16-18k) These adjacent ocean beaches are full of clean, golden sand and rocky outcrops with good swimming, diving and fishing. There is freedom camping at Pouawa in summer. TATAPOURI (Gisborne 14k) Magical views, an unspoiled location and plentiful marine life just 14 minutes out of Gisborne City. Tatapouri is mostly reef with good fishing and diving. There is a boat ramp available with access for boats to offshore fishing. Not too far out is Aerial Reef, which is suitable for deep-sea fishing. MAKORORI BEACH (Gisborne 10k)
Great surf, safe swimming and golden sand aptly describes Makorori Beach. Ideal for picnics, relaxing, snorkeling in the rock pools and horse riding. Just a short drive out of Gisborne you will find Wainui Beach, well known for its soft sand and clear water perfect for swimming, surfing and fishing. The historic Sperm Whale grave can be found here as well as a patrolled swimming area near the Wainui Surf Club in the summer months. Local store and petrol station facilities. SPONGE BAY (Gisborne 3k) 2km from highway.
Nestled between rocky cliffs, Sponge Bay is suitable for swimming and surfing and gives access to Tuamotu Island at low tide. WAIKANAE BEACH (Gisborne Town Beach). With usually the smallest surf out of all of the Gisborne beaches, it is great for those wanting to learn to surf. Lovelly for a relaxing swim and safe for the young children, it also has a flagged, patrolled area during the summer months. MIDWAY BEACH (Gisborne Town Beach). Midway Beach offers similar conditions to Waikanae. The town beaches are very popular during the warmer months and there are shops and parks close by. BLACK'S BEACH (Wairoa 33k) Black’s Beach is located on the route to Mahia Peninsula and is renowned for excellent surfing conditions and beach fishing. It is not suitable for swimming. OPOUTAMA BEACH (Wairoa 45k) This spacious, sandy beach offers safe swimming, good surfing and excellent fishing. Motor camps, petrol, store. Mahanga is a sheltered and sandy beach with good swimming, surfing and fishing. Nestled on the southern side of the Peninsula you will find Mahia Beach, which thrives during the warm summer months. It is a favourite spot for those who love water sports with safe swimming and good fishing available. Facilities include a golf course, camping ground, boat launching sites, store, and takeaways. THE REEFS On the North facing side of the Peninsula are The Reefs, which are great for surfing. Sheltered from the harsh winds, there are coves and rock pools to explore at low tide. WHANGAWEHI HARBOUR (Wairoa 58k) Also known as Boat Harbour, it is a narrow tidal inlet, which offers sanctuary to local fishing boats. It marks the place where Maori were baptised into the Christian faith. |
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