Beaches
If you like beaches and the lifestyle that goes with them, then you’re going to love New Zealand.
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Because the great thing about being an island nation is we’re literally surrounded by beaches. Over 15,000 km of them in fact.
The laid back way of life in New Zealand is pretty well known around the world, and the closer you get to the coast, the more chilled out things become. And with all of our major cities situated on the water, it’s a pretty sweet place to live and visit.
New Zealand’s beaches are extremely diverse and broadly speaking can be characterised into two, depending on whether they are situated on the East Coast or the West Coast of the country. The coastline along the East Coast is typically white sand and mellow waves while the pounding Tasman Sea means the West Coast is often wilder with black sand. Typically the further south you go on either coast, the less populated and more remote the coast becomes.
If you’re visiting then you’re in luck because there are so many ways to enjoy our beautiful coasts. There are some amazing breaks to surf and some great surf schools to get you started. Even if you’re more advanced, these same schools offer epic multi day trips to some of the best spots. Check out this story for more details on the major surfing regions of New Zealand.
Take to the water in a kayak. One of the best spots is the Abel Tasman National Park. Or head out for some fishing, there are so many companies that can get you out on the water and reeling in snapper, kawhai, blue cod and crayfish in a matter of minutes.
And there’s no better way to explore the coast and all the adventures that it offers than by doing a classic kiwi road trip during summer. Hire a car, rent a campervan or utilise the hop-on-hop-off bus networks and hit the road. Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen and have your boardies and bikini ready, because you’re going to find it hard to resist getting the sand between your toes at every opportunity.