Best surf spots in Auckland / Rodney

The go-to Auckland east coast surf destination. A right-hand point and wide beach 60 min north of the CBD, with inside banks for first sessions and a point that wakes up on a clean NE.

Te Ārai's quiet southern neighbour, separated by a band of pine. Looks like a beach break most days, surfs like a long left point on the right swell.

Whangapoua Beach at the head of Whangapoua Estuary on Aotea (Great Barrier Island), reached after a winding drive from the ferry or a short hop from the island airfield. Empty stretches of sand, friendly waves, and the kind of remoteness most of NZ has lost.

A long sandy spit on the Whangateau Harbour, where the estuary bar at the northern end turns into the spot's real drawcard on the right swell.

A regional park and marine reserve at the end of the Tawharanui Peninsula, more sheltered from open-ocean swell than Te Ārai but with the same long drive from Auckland. Quiet, wildlife rich, completely its own.

Left-hand peaks shape up at both ends of this curving Aotea bay, with open beach in between and a lineup the ferry crossing keeps empty. A proper east-coast wave for those willing to make the journey.

Auckland's most accessible coast break, two kilometres of soft sand backed by the township. Softer than the open beaches further north, ideal for a first session.

Waiheke's longest beach, a wide sweep of golden sand on the island's north coast. Not a surf destination, but when a storm or cyclone pushes swell through the gulf with the right offshore wind, Onetangi comes alive. Similar to Takapuna but bigger when it works.

Auckland's city beach. Mostly flat or knee-high, perfect for groms learning to stand up. When a big NE storm pumps the Hauraki Gulf, the north and south reefs come alive. For consistent surf, Orewa 30 min north is the better call.