Seen one beach, seen ‘em all?

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Before Alice and I came to New Zealand from Taiwan, I said to her that I absolutely wanted to

live close to the beach.  Alice, who grew up near the beach and and was constantly dragged out there in the hot midday sun by her parents, could not really share my enthusiasm and just said, “If you’ve seen one beach, you’ve seen ‘em all”.

Hm, I, think, what pies are to Alice, beaches are to me.

Here in Whakatane, the beaches are very diverse, not to mention uncountable....

And I can only say, that no beach is like another: steep/ gently sloping;

vast/cosy; sheltered/exposed, some beaches are good for fishing but not so interesting for beachcombing, and some are so good for surfing, for example in Ohope beach:

I must say, if I want to walk endlessly down the beach, then give me Coastlands:

This wide beach is simply unbelievable, and you see there really is so far to walk that you can get blisters on your feet.

If you go to the right, you will eventually stop across from “the Heads”, the port entrance of Whakatane.

At low tide you can walk along the sandy beach that lines the banks of the Whakatane river as it flows inland. 

This is where last Sunday Moko gleefully delighted the locals who were out for a stroll along the river, or even swimming.  Moko swam as far as the Bridge, where people worried that the water might not be salty enough for him.  But he is clearly an entertainer and seems to have taken it upon himself to stand in the spotlight.

The terrain of Coastlands is not the best for people with knee problems because there are quite a few sand dunes that you have to climb to get to the beach.  Furthermore the sand is rather soft and strenuous to walk on.

And if you want to surf or boogie-board, Ohope is better than Coastlands (at least for a greenhorn like me) because at Coastlands, the land drops into the sea more steeply and consequently the waves are a little wilder.

Maybe this is a reason why people prefer Westend/Ohope to Coastlands. Ohope has firm, flat sand, toilets nearby and great surf and swimming beach.

But the wonderful advantage of Coastlands is that the beach is always quite empty.

People who want some privacy may like this bay:

This bay is called Otarawairere and is only accessible either through a steep descent from Kohi Point or an equally steep climb to the bay from Westend/Ohope beach, but it has the advantage that it is never crowded.

When you drive from Whakatane towards Ohope, you can catch this glimpse of the bay in the distance.  (on the left)

Ohope beach starts at the west end, beside rocks that close off Otawairere bay.  The beach stretches on for miles and mile and connects to the Ohiwa harbor where you can find still more miles of sandy beach.

There is a swimming area supervised by lifeguards near the West End.  Ohope beach seems to be the most frequented of all the beaches around Whakatane, but the numbers of people are certainly not comparable with our beaches (in Germany) in the summertime (maybe more like our beaches when the weather is bad).

This place is built along the beach and you can find two cafes easily, and have a cappuccino or a meal.

Incidentally, even on a Sunday when the weather is good, there is still enough parking (and toilets).

Soon I will report on other beaches and compile an overview about what each beach has to offer.

This also proves, I think, that not every beach just like the other.


Otarawairere Bay and West End:

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Ohope and Ohiwa:

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Coastlands and Thornton:


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