Pakiri Beach

Pakiri Beach is one of the Auckland region's best-kept secrets — a long, wild sweep of white sand backed by high dunes and native bush, facing the open South Pacific. Located 90 kilometres north of Auckland CBD in the Rodney District, the beach stretches for kilometres with barely a building in sight and sees only a fraction of the visitors who flock to the city's eastern beaches. The sand here is bright white quartz, in contrast to the black iron-sand beaches that dominate Auckland's west coast, and the surf is clean and consistent without the ferocity of Piha or Bethells.

The defining experience at Pakiri Beach is horse trekking. Pakiri Beach Horse Rides offers guided treks along the sand and into the surrounding bush, with options ranging from beginner beach canters to multi-day overnight rides staying in farmstay accommodation. There is something deeply romantic about emerging from a bush trail at the crest of a dune and breaking into a canter along a vast, empty beach with white foam at your feet. It is an experience unlike anything available close to a major New Zealand city, and draws visitors from Auckland specifically for this purpose.

For swimmers and surf paddlers, Pakiri presents conditions that require care due to the lack of lifeguards and the unpredictable New Zealand surf. It is best treated as a beach for confident swimmers or experienced surfers. The dunes behind the beach form part of the Pakiri Beach Regional Park and are worth exploring on foot, with views over the Hauraki Gulf and towards Little Barrier Island (Hauturu). Campers and self-contained motorhomes often spend several peaceful nights at the beachside campground, waking to birdsong and an empty expanse of sand.