Whangārei District Whangaruru Beach © Whangārei District Council
The Secret Coast Route snakes its way 54km between Helena Bay and Russell, offering a glorious alternative to the SH 1 out of Whangārei. Every bend in the road presents a fabulous view. Helena Bay / Te Mimiha Bay Heading north on the Secret Coast Route, this is your first taste of coastal splendour. Stop for sheltered swimming. Mimiwhangata Coastal Reserve It takes a bit of effort to drive the bumpy road here, but paradise awaits the plucky. Discover deserted white-sand beaches, an idyllic walk around the peninsula and the Waikahoa Bay DOC Campsite, accessible only by foot.
Secret Coast Route harbour boasts several small communities freckling its shoreline. Whangaruru Beach Home to Whangaruru Beachfront Camp on the shores of Parutahi Bay and sandwiched between Ōakura Bay and Ohawini Bay. In other words, you get three beaches in one.
Hikurangi
Ōakura Bay Teal water tickles soft golden sand and holiday homes sit just inches from the beach. There’s a single dairy (such is the solitude here), decent surf waves and a rocky outcrop.
TutukĀkĀ
The Gallery Helena Bay Hill Primarily a home, this subtropical space has grown to encompass a higgledypiggledy garden teeming with trinkets, an art gallery and café pitched high above the valley floor. The views are sublime.
Elliot Bay Another corker just 30 minutes from Russell, this beach appears dramatically over the bluff and presents boisterous waves for surfers.
Ngunguru
Whangaruru Harbour This large and visually stunning
PAtaua Castaway Beach In north Pataua and also named The Dumping Beach because the waves put on an epic display for surfers. Jumping Beach A strange phenomenon and a spectacle at high tide when a giant ledge of sand forms under the water on the estuary. You’ll need to jump, or you’ll go from knee deep to head depth in one alarming footstep.
WhangĀrei
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Russell
Cape Brett Lighthouse
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Te R
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Elliot Bay
Paihia
Opua
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Punaruku Kawakawa
Whangaruru Beach Ōakura Bay
MAP LEGEND Secret Coast Route Towns/points of interest 1
State Highway symbol
Mimiwhangata Coastal Reserve
Start/finish To SH1/ Whakapara
Hikurangi Waro Limestone Lake A two-minute detour off the SH 1. Find picnic benches and a pontoon for jumping into the lake, then walk the water’s perimeter on the Yvonne Stewart Track. This 30-minute jaunt is littered with limestone boulders.
TOP TIP: Pataua North is separated from Pataua South by a scenic footbridge arching over the estuary.
WhangĀrei REST & RELAX eIN NGUNGURU H ads
Sea, sand and serenity, press the reset button in Ngunguru, the easy-going estuary village favoured for its watersports. Amble along the waterfront and grab a bite to eat, improve your game at the golf course or take a kayak onto the lagoon to poke around the mangroves and spot seabirds.
Bream Bay
See Map Section - pages 58 to 61
peaceful, revving up a bit in summer. There is a store and takeaways in Whananaki North.
ĀkĀ TutukMotutara Recreation Reserve
Mount Hikurangi Not to be Beach at Pataua © Getty Images
Helena Bay/ Te Mimiha The Gallery Helena Bay Hill
From Whananaki Village you can walk directly into the reserve. There’s a campground, coastal tracks and small secret beaches. Snorkel at Toki’s Beach or go fishing.
uru NgungWhananaki Coastal Walkway
mistaken with its eastern namesake in Gisborne, this volcanic dome rises 365m out of the ground and is estimated to be 1.2 million years old.
Whananaki inlet Head here to stroll along the footbridge. At 395m in length, it’s the longest in the southern hemisphere.
A three-hour coastal track to Sandy Bay. Detour to the Capitaine Bougainville Memorial, erected for the 16 people who lost their lives when the freight ship sank in 1975.
PAtaua
Whananaki Village Sitting halfway between Russell and Whangārei and just 30 minutes north-east of Hikurangi, Whananaki Village is divided into Whananaki North and South. Both are remote and
WhangĀrei
Wharf in Whananaki © NorthlandNZ
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