Otuawao (Mita) Bay is at the north end of Mahurangi Regional Park West in the Mahurangi Harbour. The bay has a beautiful sandy beach surrounded by pōhutukawa trees. Access is a steep downhill walk from Tungutu Point or by boat, and there is a tent-only campsite.
As you enter Mahurangi Regional Park West on Ngarewa Drive, you will see a small parking area on the side of the road. From there, take the access gate and follow the signs into the paddock on the point, then follow the signs and marked posts on the Mita Bay Loop Track to the bay. It is only a few hundred metres but is quite steep, and the grass may be slippery when wet. The 300-metre-long beach is north of the point, and the views from the top of the track are superb. There are also a few large pōhutkawa and puriri trees, twisted and distorted by their prolonged exposure to the elements on the point’s ridge.
You can return the same way, or follow a 4WD track through more native regrowth forest, and walk back about 600 metres along Ngarewa Drive to Tungutu Point to complete the loop. You can also use the Tangutu Point Loop Track to access the bay from the main car parks in Otarawao Bay. Allow 90 minutes to do the two loops from Otarawao Bay.
