Te Arai, via Pacific Road
Te Arai Beach is one of the most pristine stretches of sand on the east coast, with 22 kilometres of uninterrupted beach between the Mangawhai Heads sandspit and Pakiri, broken only by Te Arai Point. The northern access via Pacific Road from Mangawhai offers a remote, unpatrolled surf beach, popular with surfers, backed by high dunes and an exotic pine forest.
Beaches and Coastal Scenery
From the Pacific Road car park, tracks wind through the dunes to emerge on a wide beach of fine white to golden sand. Waves here are often larger and more powerful than at nearby Mangawhai Heads, making it a popular spot for confident surfers. On a good swell, the right-handers peeling along the sandbar can be world-class. It is not a safe place to swim, and if you must, stick to an incoming tide.
Te Arai Point, visible to the south, is a scenic headland with an Auckland City regional park.
Walks and Outdoor Adventures
Pacific Road forms part of Te Araroa, which follows the forestry road before emerging onto the beach and heading south towards Te Arai Point, then Pakiri. The dunes are also steep and fun to explore, with long views along the coast.
Getting There
From central Mangawhai, take Insley Street southeast over the bridge, then turn immediately east onto Black Swamp Road. Follow this road for 3.6 km (it becomes a gravel road), then turn left into Pacific Road. Note that it is a forestry road, and it is easy to miss the turnoff. It is a short drive through the exotic forest to the car park at the end of the road..
From Te Arai, it is a short drive north to Mangawhai Heads for cafés and the Goldschmidt Track, or south to Pakiri Beach for another long stretch of sand. Inland, the Tanekaha Forest Walks provide a contrast with shady native bush and waterfalls.
