Why Login?

Opunake Beach

(Taranaki)

Opunake
Add Your Photos

Accomodation

Find accomodation near Opunake Beach

Show all events

Events

Aug
25
Taranaki Arts Festival: Anzac Eve
Having already written a play set in WWI, Dave Armstrong didn’t want to write one about Gallipoli until he had the idea of a modern-day tale. Anzac Eve is about four young backpackers from Down Under going to ... More ►
Aug
26
Cars 3
One last chance, one last dream. Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is back and determined to prove himself to a new generation of race cars in Disney/Pixar's third instalment in the Cars series. Blindsided by a new ... More ►
Powered by Event Finder

Opunake Beach

Opunake is a very popular beach with the local community. The beach can be dangerous in any size swell due to the southerly drift and the large rip at the southern end of the beach which pumps a lot of water out beyond the surf zone. There are some large holes always present at the beach. Opunake Beach has good facilities for beach goers and a motor camp situated only 50 metres from the beach. Opunake Surf Life Saving Club patrol weekends and public holidays during the summer months and there are also professional Lifeguards working during the school holidays.

Rate this beach

Ratings

Family friendly

This beach is well suited for families, make sure your family is prepared for the beach conditions, the beach is patrolled by Surf Lifeguards during the summer months.

Swimming

Bathing at Opunake beach is very popular during the summer months. The beach has a very low swash gradient of less than one degree, meaning the beach has one of the largest, low tide terraces in the country. Bathers at this beach can walk out a great distance before the water will be over head height. The beach has a couple of large holes, a longshore southerly drift, and a large rip at the southern end.

Surfing

Surfing can be quite good at Opunake beach. The main bar at the northern end of the beach often provides good surfing waves (generally right handers). There are also many good point breaks in the nearby area. Opunake beach can be surfed on any tide and is offshore in a northeast wind.

Fishing

Fishing is very popular in the Opunake area. There are many good spots to rock fish from. The territory is tough but productive. The area has big snapper and fishermen need to use squid or octopus as bait, as other types do not last long.

Activities and facilities

Activities

  • Canoeing/kayaking
  • Shell fish gathering
  • Wind/kite surfing
  • Wind-powered vehicles

Facilities

  • Car parking
  • Food and beverage kiosk
  • Playground
  • Public toilets

Safety

The beach is our favourite playground, but it can also be a dangerous place. Learn about the hazards at Opunake Beach and be prepared so you and your family can enjoy the sun, sea and sand safely this summer.

Hazards

Large breaking waves
Strong rips/currents
Submerged objects
Sudden drop off

Patrols

Patrolled Beach
Opunake Beach is a patrolled beach.
Stay safe - swim beween the flags.

Forecast provided by SwellMap.com

Mainly clear with some cloud
10°c
Max Temp.
14°c
Water Temp.

Wind

Still
11 kph
North East

Swell

Large
2.4m
West

Water Conditions

For boating and surfing
Poor. 2/10
2
Good. 9/10
9

Tides

6:30am
High
12:50pm
Low
7:10pm
High
7-day Forecast ► Forecast for Friday 18 Aug 2017, 9pm
Swellmap.com

Safety at Opunake Beach

We want you to have a great time whilst visiting Opunake Beach. But take a moment to learn more about being safe on New Zealand Beaches. More ►

Patrolled Beach

Patrolling club: Opunake SLSC
Patrolled Beach
Opunake Beach is a patrolled beach.
Stay safe - swim beween the flags.
 

Patrol Hours

2015 - 2016 --21 November 2015 to 14 March2016-----
Saturdays: 11am-4pm--- Sundays: 11am-4pm---

Hazards

Large breaking waves
Large breaking waves
Strong rips/currents
Strong rips/currents
Submerged objects
Submerged objects
Sudden drop off
Sudden drop off

Click a safety symbol for more information on the risk

4 simple rules to keep you safe

We want you to have a great time whilst visiting Opunake Beach. But take a moment to learn more about being safe on New Zealand beaches and looking out for each other. More ►

The Water Safety Code:

  • Be prepared
  • Watch out for yourself and others
  • Be aware of the dangers
  • Know your limits
DIAL 111 in the event of an emergency

Location

Opunake Beach is located 500 metres west of Opunake township. Opunake Beach is a small bay and the beach is 500 metres long. There are long cliff headlands to each end of the bay. These cliffs extend around the back of the bay with a large reserve behind the beach before the cliffs. The beach is golden sand and has a very large low tide terrace. The Opunake Surf Life Saving Club is located centrally on top of the foredune.

Public Transport

Sorry, we have no public transport information available for this beach.

Comments

No comments for this beach yet. Be the first!
More comments

Beach Water Quality

The Overall Recreation Risk is a guide to give a general picture of water quality at a site. Updated annually, it is calculated from bacteria (enterococci) data collected over the last three years. The Overall Recreation Risk indicator is a precautionary approach to managing health risk and is not designed to represent health risk on a particular day. As such, a site can have an Overall Recreation Risk of ‘Caution’ but still be suitable for swimming some of the time.

Overall recreation risk

The long term risk status based on three years of data

Very Low Risk

Less than 1% risk of illness

Many councils also provide the results of their weekly monitoring. This lets people know what the most recent bacteria levels were. Remember, even sites with low risk can be unsuitable to swim at from time to time and we recommend that you avoid swimming for 48 hours after heavy rainfall.

Visit lawa.org.nz for further information on recreational water quality and in season monitoring over summer ►

Welcome, log in using your
Facebook, Google or Microsoft account