-	All photographs of Whangamata

Whangamata is a sea side town situated on the south-east coast of the Coromandel peninsula, in the North Island of New Zealand. Located 180 km south-east of Auckland and 88 km west of Tauranga. Whangamata’s stunning Otahu Beach is a 5km stretch of white silica sand. The bay offers safe swimming, awesome surf and many fishing options. A popular holiday spot, Whangamata has all of the services and some interesting activities and attractions to ensure you enjoy your stay here.

Whangamata, in Maori means, “hard stone bay”, referring to the glass like black obsidian which used to wash up in the bay. Maori used obsidian stone for cutting tools, as they had no metals.

Whangamata has two pristine Pacific Ocean beaches, both are very safe for swimming and surfing. The town also has a good harbour with easy access to the open sea, and the fishing grounds of the Bay of Plenty. There are a couple of interesting off-shore islands. You can walk to Hauturu or Clark Island at low tide and check out the rock pools, or take a kayak to Whenuakura Island, also known as Donut Island, located about 1 km east of the Southern part of Whangamata beach. There are more beaches in close proximity up and down the coast including; Onemana, Whiritoa and Opoutere.

The Coromandel Forest Park and Tairua Forest border the town and provide many outdoor activities, including good walking tracks, mountain bikeing trails, hunting and historic gold mining sites.

Whangamata also has a very good shopping centre, with an assortment of shops to cater for all of your shopping needs. There is a laid-back café scene and a number of clubs, pubs, restaurants and hotels, which provide meals, refreshments and entertainment for our visitors.

The town can boast some very good sporting facilities. Whangamata has an excellent public swimming pool, there are 9 and 18 hole golf courses, tennis courts, squash courts, lawn bowls, croquet, mini putt and more…..

There are many holiday houses, or baches as we call them, for rent throughout the year. It gets very busy here during the christmas and new year period. It pays to book your accommodation in Whangamata in advance.