The North Island of New Zealand is known for it’s beautiful beaches. You will find them all over this island, but for the most pristine beaches drive the 4 hours up to the Northland. A good place to start is Paihia. If you have the funds do yourself a favor and rent a boat in Paihia and explore the secluded beaches of the 140 islands this area (Bay of Islands) has to offer. But, if you are a budget traveler like me meet locals or hitch hike to one of these awesome beaches!
Paihia (Paihia Town Beach and Te Tii Bay)
If you are staying in Kerikeri (which I recommend, you can read my post about my must do’s there HERE) you will actually pass Paihia on your way up there. Paihia is a great town as well, but keep in mind it is a major stop for many cruise ships. You can arrive in the morning and it feell like you are there by yourself, but then by noon there will be anywhere from 2-5 cruise ships docked and waits will be extremely long at restaurants and the beaches will be slammed! Now this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hang out in Paihia, I visited three separate times when I was visiting the Northland, but I visited for the sunrise, breakfast and a beach day on a Tuesday, to party one night on a Saturday and then for breakfast and to catch a bus down to Auckland. Two out of three were too busy for my liking, but I loved the relaxing Tuesday.
Te Tii Bay
There are 5 beaches in Paihia that are all pretty awesome but I loved Te Tii Bay the most. This beach didn’t have the most beatuiful sand but it was secluded and lined with native pohutukawa trees. I spent a full day here back and forth between this hammock (that fit perfectly between two branches of a giant pohutukawa tree) and the beach! It is located on the northern end of Paihia and you get wonderful view of the island Russell.
Paihia Town Beach
If you are a solo traveler and looking to meet people I also recommend Paihia Town Beach I spent a night partying there for sunset and met so many fun travelers. This beach was nice, I just preferred to get away and relax at Te Tii Bay. What is the best about this beach is the restaurants and shops are right behind it so it is easy to access lunch and dinner in between sun bathing. Definitely go in to town and try one of the gelato stands! They were amazing.
Here is a picture from Paihia Town Beach at sunrise…
and then right after…
Matai Bay
Paihia is great but there are so many more beaches to explore in this area of the country. We took the car about an hour and a half and headed up to Matai Bay Campground. We arrived at this campground in the evening and the stars were unbelievable, one of the most beautiful night skies I have ever seen. It’s hard to put into to words how happy it made me waking up to the views of this bay. The campground was somewhat busy but the beach wasn’t at all, and we were even there on a Friday. I only saw a few people and no one I saw had a bathing suit on, so be prepared if that isn’t something you are into! The beach is long and golden and there were plenty of spots as you can see in this picture.
My skin is so pale so I didn’t last long before we ventured over to some shade provided by more Pohutakawa tree’s.
There were these GIANT rocks everywhere so fun walking across them to some shade.
There are some perfect trees to hang your hammock up and enjoy a picnic here.
On the way back home make a stop at Mangonui Fish Shop. You will hear mixed reviews and that is only because it is a bit more pricey than other fish shops. But I absolutely think it is worth the extra bucks. My favorite was the fried Hoki.
Kai-Iwi-Lakes
This lake is less known to tourists and a bit of a drive from pretty much everywhere, but it sure is worth it. When you pull up to this lake you’d think you were in Bali or the Caribbean, the sand is so white and the water so clear, this lake is just one a mile from the sea. What I loved about these lakes are that they are fresh water! I missed my fresh water lakes I am used to in Michigan. This beautiful water known as the Taharoa domain consisting of three lakes all known as the Kawi Iwi Lakes.
There is a main beach in front of the campground that is fun and lively you can even swim out to a floating dock. We hung out there for a bit before walking around the lake a bit where we found a beach we ended up having all to ourselves!
Secret Beach
I promised my friend who took me here I wouldn’t publish the name of this place. It is a “local secret” located right outside Kerikeri. This will hopefully push you to visit Kerikeri meet some locals, show them pictures, and see if they will take you here. Both times we went there wasn’t another human in sight and locals want to keep it that way as long as they can. I am sure someone somewhere has wrote about this place but a promise is a promise! This beach is one of my favorite places in the world, you will park your car and see this awesome view.
then you’ll walk down this small path…
the path ends at a small bay with a beautiful beach with a few giant pines randomly there to protect you if it starts to rain.
We put our hammocks up in the big pine and stayed at this bay the entire day.
When the tide goes out the bay is filled with chunky purple star fish! It started to get dark so I couldn’t get a good picture. Also, tons of daisies surround this bay and it’s so damn peaceful! Writing about it now makes me want to go back.
What was your favorite beach when visiting New Zealand!? Comment below and for more posts about New Zealand check out my New Zealand category!
