Rolling waves and a flat horizon, black sand and grass in the foreground.

Where Are The Best Beaches In Tāranaki, New Zealand?

Tāranaki’s coastline a place that will keep surprising you — wild, rugged, and boasting incredible beaches all the way around the region. From black sand surfing hotspots to family-friendly coastal stretches, this post guides you through the best beaches in Tāranaki, categorised by location to enable you to plan your next beach break with ease!

Best Beaches in North Tāranaki

North Tāranaki – the stretch of coastline between the Waikato region and the route down to New Plymouth, is dotted with five noteworthy beaches, each for a particular reason:

Tongaporutu Beach on a gloomy day, with the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock visible in the water, and a couple with their arms around each other in the foreground, photographed from behind.
Tongaporutu Beach, the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock

⛱️ Awakino Beach

Awakino Beach is a fishing spot – great for snapper, kahawai and whitebait – yum!

⛱️ Rapanui Beach

Rapanui Beach is a scenic, black sand beach, a good leg stretch on the way into New Plymouth, and a great fishing spot.

⛱️ Tongapōrutu / Three Sisters Beach

At low tide you’ll be able to walk out to the three sisters rock formations – two of which remain – and Elephant Rock, which looks like an elephant from just the right angle. There’s also caves that can be explored when the tide is out.

Tongaporutu Beach on a gloomy day with the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock visible in the water.
Tongaporutu Beach, the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock
Tongaporutu Beach and Elelphant Rock at low tide, taken with some foliage in the foreground.
Tongaporutu Beach and Elelphant Rock

⛱️ Urenui Beach

Urenui Beach is a good black sand beach on the way into New Plymouth, with a tidal river opening up onto the beach, making for good swimming when the tide is coming in.

⛱️ Waitara Beach

Waitara Beach is popular with surfers and fishermen after shrimps and crabs in particular.

Best Beaches in New Plymouth

The city of New Plymouth is a great little coastal city, with its own pick of noteworthy city beaches for you to visit when next in the area.

Young couple piggybacking each other laugh for the camera atop Paritutu Rock with Back Beach on a gloomy day visible behind.
Back Beach, as seen from the summit of Paritutu Rock

⛱️ Waiwhakaiho Beach

If you are an intermediate to expert surfer, you’ll enjoy the breaks here.

⛱️ Fitzroy Beach

Fitzroy Beach caters to swimmers and surfers – of all levels, with surf schools operating on the beach to get even newbies out into the surf.

Rolling waves and a flat horizon, black sand and grass in the foreground.
Bell Block Beach

⛱️ Ngamotu Beach

Ngamotu Beach’s breakwaters means its really safe for swimmers here, with really calm waters.

⛱️ Back Beach

Back Beach is loved for its West Coast sunsets, black sand (also a West Coast thing) and that you can see out to the Sugarloaf Islands, which aren’t too far offshore and provide and awesome silhouette against the setting sun.

Back Beach on a gloomy day, photographed from above.
Back Beach, as seen from the summit of Paritutu Rock

⛱️ Paritutu Beach

Rising up at the end of Paritutu Beach is Paritutu Rock, a quick 15 minute scramble up for epic views out from 156 metres up.

Side profile of young woman posing for the camera atop Paritutu Rock on a gloomy day with Back Beach visible below.
Back Beach, as seen from the summit of Paritutu Rock

⛱️ Tapuae Beach

It’s a marine reserve here, so you can actually get in some good snorkelling down the end of the beach where the stream is.

⛱️ Oakura Beach

This black sand beach is a great one for families because lifeguards patrol it in summer.

Best Beaches on the Surf 45 Highway

The Taranaki Bight is the rounded piece of land that juts out from the western side of the lower North Island, with its centre piece being the conical Mount Taranaki. The bight is perfectly rounded and has a whole array of amazing surfie hotpots, and the highway is the route between the more northern ones:

⛱️ Stent Road Beach

This would be one of New Zealand’s best surf spots. Don’t miss it.

⛱️ Arawhata Road Beach

This is a fantastic spot for surfies – the whole Surf 45 Highway is – but Arawhata Road Beach has both left and right hand breaks and has consistently good surf no matter the tide.

Best Beaches on the southern Tāranaki Bight

South Taranaki’s coastline features marine terraces that stretch from Ohawe all the way south to Whanganui. Continue down the coastal road to find these treasures just south of the beaches above.

⛱️ Opunake Beach

Opunake Beach is a surfie hotspot but also safe for swimmers, – which cannot be said for all the beaches down this side of the country.

⛱️ Kaupokonui Beach

Kaupokonui Beach is a great spot for catching whitebait!

⛱️ Ohawe Beach

This is where the first Māori settlers in the area lived and there are the remains of their old pā still here, and cliffs that are 3 million years old.

⛱️ Waihi Beach

There are fossilised shells immortalised in the cliffs here and rock pools to explore at low tide.

⛱️ Waiinu Beach

Yet another scenic, black sand, surfie hotspot. Do try it 😉

A silvery sunset over the Northern Taranaki coastline.
North Taranaki Coastline

Whether you’re after amazing surf breaks, a quiet swim, a place to fish, or a recommendation from where to watch the sun go down, Tāranaki’s coastline delivers in spades. Explore a few, take your time, and see which ones you’d consider favourites; chances are, you’ll end up with a few!