Pātea

Pātea is a river-mouth break where the Pātea River meets the Tasman beside a set of old training walls and breakwaters at the southern end of SH45. You can surf either side of the mouth, and sometimes right up into it, but the south side is usually the pick, where the river-built sandbars throw hollow, punchy peaks when the swell and the sand line up. It works on a SW swell with a N to NE offshore and breaks across all tides, varying with how hard the river is running. It is fairly consistent and best through spring and summer, though the bar shifts session to session as the river moves the sand, so the shape is never quite the same twice. Treat it as an honest intermediate wave rather than a destination.

The break sits off Mana Bay, Pātea's black-sand surf beach, which is better set up than the sleepy town suggests, with a playground, toilets, free barbecues, parking right at the sand and a motorcamp nearby, plus a cliff lookout and a historic walkway. Pātea itself is a small South Taranaki town with a cafe, store and fuel, and it carries a long and significant history for Taranaki iwi, so treat the place and its people with respect. This is where the road turns inland toward Whanganui, making Pātea a quiet, friendly stop worth a check as you work the lower end of the coast.

• Favour the south side of the mouth for the best bank, but check both sides and between the breakwaters too, because on the right swell it can break right across the mouth.
• Read which bank the river has built before you paddle, since the outflow rebuilds the sand constantly and the standout peak moves from one trip to the next.
• Bring a board with a bit of drive for the hollow takeoffs, and have a backup beachie in mind for the days the bar is running shapeless.
• Make the most of Mana Bay, a genuinely good family beach with a playground, barbecues and a lookout, an easy stop for a mixed crew whether or not they surf.

• The river drains across the bars beside the breakwaters and the outflow sets up currents at the mouth, so work out where the channel runs before you paddle out.
• The sandbars shift constantly with the river, so it can be a hollow, punchy bank one session and shapeless the next. Always walk the beach and have a proper look before you commit.
• The old training walls and breakwaters are rock structures with rips running alongside them, so read the layout and the current around them before you paddle near them.
• It is an exposed west-facing coast that blows out easily, so pick a settled day with the wind off the land or you will find it messy.
• This is cold black-sand Tasman water on an exposed coast, so suit up properly, especially through winter when the chill bites.

Getting there

Pātea is on SH3, about 30 minutes south of Hāwera or 45 minutes north of Whanganui, with the beach a short drive through town to Mana Bay at the river mouth.

Parking

Sealed parking right at the sand by the surf club and the river mouth, and it is rarely busy.

Toilets & showers

Public toilets and a playground at Mana Bay, with the surf club at the beach. There are no showers, so bring water for a rinse.

Shops, cafes & fuel

Pātea town, a few minutes away, has a cafe, store and fuel. Hāwera, about 30 minutes north, has a bigger shop for a full resupply.

Accommodation

A motorcamp near the beach, plus baches and a few options in town. Whanganui or Hāwera have motels for a wider choice.

Camping

The Pātea motorcamp sits by the beach. Freedom camping is controlled under the South Taranaki District Council bylaw, so use the camp.