Tairua

Tairua's main surf is Ocean Beach, a long sandy stretch north of the harbour mouth that produces powerful, hollow peaks on an E or NE swell with W or SW winds. Several peaks run down the beach with both lefts and rights, and the right-hander at the southern end near the harbour, along with the wave on the bar itself, are the most critical setups, with strong currents on the outgoing tide and fast hollow takeoffs. The beach faces a little more north than its neighbours, so it is a magnet for N and NE swells, and it gets heavier and more demanding as the swell picks up.

Tairua is the older, more working-village half of the harbour twin, in contrast to the planned holiday settlement at Pauanui across the water. The town has cafes, restaurants, a grocery and fuel, and a small but committed local crew at the better banks, with the harbour, the marina and the volcanic cone of Mt Paku all within a short walk of the beach.

• The harbour bar fires best on an outgoing tide, but the rip beside it runs hard at the same time, so watch it from the headland for a few minutes before you commit and surf it early while it is glassy.
• The main Ocean Beach peaks run the length of the beach on an E or NE swell, and the further north you walk from the harbour the less the current pulls, though the longer the paddle out from the carpark.
• Make a classic east-Coromandel loop of it: Pauanui across the harbour and Hot Water Beach about 20 minutes north, with late autumn or early spring the sweet spot for clean conditions and thinner crowds.
• Walk up Mt Paku from the southern end of the township, about 20 minutes up the path, and time it for sunset: the view across to Pauanui, Slipper Island and the Aldermen Islands is the best in the area.
• Surf early or off-peak in summer, because the beach near the harbour gets busy with swimmers, jet skis and boats through the holidays, while the banks further north stay quieter.

• The harbour bar at the south end has serious currents on the outgoing tide, so read it before paddling and stay clear if you are not confident in moving water.
• The wave gets powerful and hollow as the swell picks up, and above 1.5m the beach is intermediate-plus only, with a heavy shorey on the inside that breaks boards.
• The right point at the south end has rocks at lower tides, so beginners should stick to the open beach peaks rather than the point.
• Tairua is unpatrolled outside summer, so surf within your ability and check the bank before paddling at the south end, where the bar and the harbour pull together.

Getting there

About 2 to 2.5 hours from Auckland via SH25A (the Kopu-Hikuai road) then SH25, with Ocean Beach signposted off the main road in the township. Through the holiday season the Tairua to Pauanui passenger ferry crosses the harbour mouth, far quicker than the 25-minute drive around to Pauanui.

Parking

Several sealed car parks along Ocean Beach Road plus roadside parking by the beach, with the largest at the main beach access. They fill over the summer holidays.

Toilets & showers

Public toilets at the main beach access. Tairua Surf Life Saving Club, on Paku Drive, patrols Ocean Beach over summer, roughly mid-December to the end of February.

Shops, cafes & fuel

Tairua township has a handful of cafes and restaurants, the Old Mill Cafe a local fixture, along with a Four Square grocery and a petrol station. The nearest large supermarket is at Whitianga, about 40 minutes north.

Accommodation

Tairua Campground in the heart of the village (cabins, powered and tent sites) and the Pinnacles Backpackers are the main options, with motels along the harbour and plenty of Bookabach rentals through the town.

Camping

TCDC's freedom-camping bylaw allows certified self-contained vehicles at the Tangimoana Esplanade reserve only (five marked spaces opposite Paku Drive), not elsewhere in town.