Unforgettable Road Trip, Exploring Parua Bay, Whangarei Heads & Ocean Beach
It was a crisp, picture perfect August Wednesday morning when my daughter and I packed the car for an epic road trip adventure. Our destination? The breathtaking Parua Bay, Whangarei Heads, and Ocean Beach hidden gems on the Northland coast of New Zealand.
These were the places I had spent countless hours exploring in my younger years, yet I hadn’t returned in what felt like forever. This journey wasn’t just about revisiting old memories; it was about creating new ones and soaking up the chance to connect, laugh, and make unforgettable memories with my daughter along the way.
About Parua Bay
Parua Bay is a locality and bay on the northern side of the Whangārei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Whangārei is 19 km to the west, and Whangārei Heads are 10 km to the south east, with Munro Bay between the two. The western head is called Manganese Point, and the eastern is Reserve Point.
The bay is sheltered and about 4 km wide, with about one kilometre between the headlands. The central bay has deep water, but there are wide intertidal zones around the coast. Motukiore Island is just inside Manganese Point and joined to it by a causeway at low tide, although the only practical access is by water.
About Whangārei Heads
Whangārei Heads is a locality and volcanic promontory on the northern side of the Whangārei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Whangārei is 29 km to the north-west, and Ocean Beach is 8 km to the south-east, with Taurikura between the two. Mount Manaia rises to 420 metres to the east
Immediately to the west is McLeod Bay, which is about 2 km (1.2 mi) long. The McDonald sandbank lies a few metres offshore at low tide. The promontory to the south of the settlement consists of a hill, Mount Aubrey, and a small gravel beach about 200 metres wide, Reotahi Bay
The heads contain the remnants of a number of extinct volcanoes with the dominant rocks being andesite or dacite. They were formed between 16 and 22 million years ago during the early Miocene. They are part of a 50 km2 (19 sq mi) stratovolcano that extended to the Hen and Chickens Islands.
About Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach, can refer to multiple popular surf destinations in New Zealand, including the well-known beach on the Whangarei Heads peninsula and another in the Hastings District. The Whangarei Heads Ocean Beach is a 5 km long golden-sand beach on the Pacific coast, known for surfing, body-boarding, clear waters, and strong rips, while the Hawke's Bay Ocean Beach features a popular surf break and is located between Cape Kidnappers and Waimarama Beach.
Where is your favorite beach ?
