Taupo Bay

Taupo Bay faces northeast across the open Pacific and catches NE groundswells with reasonable consistency, and the dual headlands soften most of the bay so there are really two waves here. The main beach is the holiday wave, fun, forgiving peaks that suit beginners and longboarders well on a clean NE swell with a SW wind. The standout is the right-hander off the rocks at the southern end of the bay, where on a clean NE swell with a SW wind the south point shapes into a powerful, hollow wave that is a clear step up from the rest of the beach. This is not a destination break, but it is more interesting than its reputation suggests.

One of the Far North's quieter corners, the bay is a sheltered crescent tucked between two headlands at the end of a thirty-minute drive east from Mangonui. A small community of baches lines the foreshore, and most visitors come for the swimming, fishing, and quiet rather than the waves. It is the kind of session that pairs naturally with a fish-and-chip lunch at Mangonui on the drive back.

• The bay's NE orientation and double-headland shelter keep it surfable when the more exposed beaches to the south are closing out or blown out, so when the open coast is too big or too windy the drive in here often rewards you with smaller, cleaner waves.
• To find out if the south point is on, walk down to that end and watch a few sets before you commit, looking for the wall to stand up and run off the rocks rather than crumble across the sand.
• Pair Taupo Bay with Whangaroa Harbour for a half-day, twenty minutes west. The harbour is one of NZ's most dramatic natural anchorages, with hiking tracks up to St Pauls Rock for views over the entire system, and Mangonui's historic fish shop on the way back closes the loop nicely.

• The bay is unpatrolled, so check the water from the dune before paddling, because rips that form between the sand banks are easiest to spot from that elevation.
• Rocks line both headlands, so if you are surfing the southern right, pick your exit channel before you line up your first wave.
• The sea breeze usually arrives by early afternoon, so dawn and morning sessions land the cleanest conditions, especially in summer.
• Phone reception is patchy and there are no shops on the beach, so surf with company and let someone know your plan.

Getting there

Far North, about 30 minutes east of Mangonui: turn off SH10 near Kaeo and follow the long, narrow Taupo Bay Road in, sealed but slow and busy with bach traffic in summer. It is roughly 110 minutes north of Whangārei, with Kaeo the closest stop for fuel and Kerikeri, an hour south, the nearest full-service town.

Parking

Informal parking at the beach access. Free, fills lightly on summer weekends.

Toilets & showers

Taupo Bay Holiday Park, 300m back from the beach, has hot showers, a camp kitchen and a small store for its guests. There is little laid on at the beach access itself, so come prepared if you are only there to surf.

Shops, cafes & fuel

The holiday park has a small store for basics. For fuel, top up at Kaeo before the turn-off, and Mangonui or Kerikeri carry the fuller range, with Mangonui's historic fish shop a fine stop on the drive back.

Accommodation

Taupo Bay Holiday Park, 300m back from the beach, has self-contained cabins as well as powered and tent sites, the handiest base right by the surf. Otherwise it is bach rentals through the village, boutique stays at Mangonui 40 minutes away, or the full motel and holiday-park range at Kerikeri an hour south.

Camping

Taupo Bay Holiday Park is the camping option, 300m from the beach, with powered and tent sites, hot showers, a camp kitchen, laundry and a small store (no dump station, the nearest is at Mangonui). The Far North District Council restricts freedom camping in the area, so the park is the place to stay over.