Discover Ōmaha Beach
Ōmaha Beach is a stunning north-facing surf beach on the Matakana Coast in Auckland, with white quartz sand, rolling waves, and a dune-backed shoreline. The beach is popular for surfing, swimming, and long beach walks. It’s a holiday town with a mix of relaxed baches and exclusive modern homes set back behind the dunes.
Stretching along the northern side of Ōmaha Spit, the beach offers clear views across Ōmaha Bay. It is popular with surfers year-round, but swimmers should stick to the area patrolled by the surf lifesaving club from Labour Weekend to Easter. The dunes behind the beach provide scenic walking routes through protected plantings of spinifex and pīngao.
The east end of the beach is home to upmarket houses, set well back to preserve the natural dune environment. The sandspit also adjoins Tāwharanui Peninsula, separating Whangateau Harbour from the open bay. The only road access to Ōmaha is the bridge across the Harbour.
Birdwatchers will find Ōmaha Spit an important breeding ground for the endangered New Zealand dotterel, with a predator-proof sanctuary managed by the Ōmaha Spit Shorebird Sanctuary.
Māori Settlement and Early History
The Māori name Ōmaha means “bountiful food” or “great resources”. Ngāti Manuhiri called the beach Mangatawhiri, while the wider area was a Marutūāhu settlement until purchased by the Crown in 1841. Nearby Leigh was also historically called Ōmaha by Māori.
For much of the early European period, the sandspit was undeveloped farmland.
Modern Development and Coastal Protection
Omaha’s transformation began in the 1970s, when the bridge over the harbour opened the sand spit to development. Subdivision and housing followed, but coastal erosion soon became a concern. A storm in July 1978 destroyed the original wooden barrier and damaged beachfront properties. To protect the shoreline, three groynes were constructed, and sand dredged from the harbour was deposited on the beach. Dune stabilisation followed, with planting of dune grasses and shrubs. Today, the dunes are a feature of the stunning beach.
Getting There
From Downtown Auckland, take the motorway (State Highway 1) north to Warkworth, then Matakana Road to Matakana. Continue from Matakana on Leigh Road, and turn right onto Omaha Flats Road and follow signs to Ōmaha. After crossing the bridge, veer right, then turn immediately north into Omaha Beach Surf Club, with parking at the end of the access road.
Other nearby options include the Matakana, Tawharanui Regional Park, a stop at Big Ōmaha, Ti Point, Matheson Bay and Leigh.
