Matapouri Bay

Matapouri is a curved white-sand bay backed by pohutukawa on the Tutukaka coast, sheltered enough for easy swimming and shallow enough at the northern end for children - which makes it the family beach of this coastline in a way the surf beaches further south are not. A short track over the headland at the northern end leads toward the Mermaid Pools, tidal rock pools that became social-media famous and were then damaged by the volume of people: Ngunguru hapu placed a rahui over them, and visitors are asked not to enter the pools. That request has been in place for years and is widely ignored, which is why signage keeps appearing. Respecting it costs nothing. The bay itself, the walk over the headland to Whale Bay, and the coast track south toward Woolleys Bay are the reasons to come, and they are unaffected.

What you actually see

• The sheltered bay - white sand and easy swimming.
• The headland track - over to Whale Bay through pohutukawa.
• The Mermaid Pools - visible from the track, under a rahui, not entered.
• The Tutukaka coast - the run of bays south toward Woolleys.

When to go

December to April. Weekday mornings are quiet; summer weekends fill the small car parks completely.

Honest expectations

The Mermaid Pools are under a rahui and visitors are asked not to enter them - a request from the local hapu after damage, and it should be respected. Parking is limited. The beach is unpatrolled outside the main summer weeks.

Nearby

Whale Bay, Woolleys Bay and Sandy Bay are along the coast; Tutukaka is the port for the Poor Knights.