Opito Bay

Opito is a two-and-a-half kilometre arc of pale sand facing north-east across the Mercury Islands, sheltered enough that the water is usually calm and the swimming easy - the opposite of the surf beaches on the peninsula's other coast. At the northern end a track climbs Opito Point to a headland carrying the earthworks of a pa, with terraces and ditch defences still legible and a view down the whole beach and out to the islands. The settlement behind the beach is a scatter of holiday houses with no shop, no cafe and no fuel; supplies come from Whitianga or Kuaotunu. The road in from Kuaotunu is winding and the last part is unsealed, which keeps day-trip numbers down. Sunrise over the Mercury Islands is the thing photographers come for, and in January the bay fills with families and then empties again completely by March.

What you actually see

• The sheltered crescent - two and a half kilometres of calm swimming water.
• The pa headland - terraces and ditches at the northern point.
• The Mercury Islands - offshore to the north-east.
• The sunrise - over the islands, the reason to stay the night.

When to go

December to March. January is the one busy month; February and March are warm and quiet. Sunrise for the view over the islands.

Honest expectations

No shop, no cafe, no fuel - bring everything. The last road is unsealed and winding. The beach is unpatrolled. Holiday houses back the beach, so parking is limited and residential.

Nearby

Kuaotunu and Otama are west; Whitianga and Hahei are south.