Waihau Bay / Loisells

Loisels Beach, also known as Waihau Beach, is a punchy golden-sand beach break 42 km north of Gisborne, just south of Tolaga Bay. Several peaks run along the 5.6 km bay with both rights and lefts, and because the beach faces broadly east and northeast it picks up swell from most angles, often holding waves when more sheltered spots have gone flat. The wave is short, punchy and fun, an E or NE swell with a W or NW offshore at low to mid tide is the sweet spot, and on a good bank you can surf it all day.

It is a genuine crowd-escape. Reaching it means a 6 km detour off SH35 down Waihau Road, sealed then gravel and signposted Waihau Beach / Loisels, into a secluded bay backed by green hills with parking right at the sand. There is a small lifestyle-block community and a council freedom-camping area that fills up in summer, but for most of the year you will share the beach with a handful of locals at most. The bay also has safe swimming, surfcasting and rocky areas for a dive, so it suits a mixed crew for a full day out.

• Drive or walk the full beach before you suit up and pick the bank that has a defined shoulder, because with several peaks spread along 5.6 km the difference between a fun bank and a closeout can be a hundred metres of sand.
• Treat it as your marginal-day call, because when the points and sheltered beaches are too small Loisels grabs swell from most angles and still has a wave, which makes the gravel detour worth it when nowhere else is working.
• Pair a session here with Tolaga Bay just over the hill to the north, or run half an hour south to Wainui and the Gisborne breaks for a two-stop or three-stop East Coast day.

• Beach-break rips run stronger on a bigger swell and around the river outlet at the north end, so read the banks and find the channel before you paddle out.
• The sandbanks shift and the peaks move with them, so the good bank this month may not be the good bank next month, and you should walk the sand each visit to find it.
• When the swell is up you will get punchy close-out sections, so pick the peaks that are breaking with a shoulder rather than the ones folding straight over.
• This is a remote bay with no patrol and the nearest help is back toward Gisborne or Tolaga, so surf within yourself and ideally with company.

Getting there

Loisels / Waihau Beach, 42 km (about 45 minutes) north of Gisborne. Head north on SH35 past Whangara, turn onto Waihau Road and follow it about 6 km to the beach. Sealed then gravel for the final stretch.

Parking

Parking at the beach at the end of Waihau Road. Several access points along the 5.6 km bay, so drive the front and park near whichever bank is breaking best.

Toilets & showers

Basic toilet at the council freedom-camping area on the beachfront. No showers; this is a remote bay, so bring your own water for a rinse.

Shops, cafes & fuel

No shops or fuel at the beach. Stock up in Gisborne (45 minutes south) or grab basics and fuel at Tolaga Bay over the hill to the north.

Accommodation

A scatter of baches and holiday homes in the Loisels lifestyle-block community, some on Bookabach and Holiday Houses. Otherwise Tolaga Bay (holiday park, motel) is the nearest base to the north, or Gisborne to the south.

Camping

The main option is the council-administered freedom-camping area on the beachfront, popular in summer. Open over the warmer months and closed 1 May to Labour Weekend, self-contained vehicles only under the GDC bylaw. Check current rules before you go.