Whangarei Heads & the Tutukaka Coast — Northland's CoastalLoop.
Distance
130 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
900 m
Whangarei Heads & the Tutukaka Coast — Northland's Coastal Loop.
A compact Northland loop pairing two very different coasts. First the narrow road out to Whangarei Heads under the crags of Mount Manaia to the white sand of Ocean Beach, then north along the Tutukaka Coast — famous as the launch point for the Poor Knights Islands dive sites — through Ngunguru, Tutukaka and the postcard cove of Matapouri. Tight, green and subtropical.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance130 km
Days1
Total climb900 m
DifficultyModerate
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The route.
WhangareiStart · Northland's only city and the hub of the loop. Fuel and coffee before the run out to the Heads.
Mount Manaia / Whangarei HeadsScenic Point · A jagged 420m volcanic plug towering over the harbour mouth. The road twists beneath it along a string of tiny bays.
Ocean Beach / Bream HeadPhoto Spot · A wild white-sand surf beach at the road's end under the Bream Head reserve. Turn-around point of the Heads spur.
NgunguruRestaurant · A relaxed estuary village where the Tutukaka Coast begins. Good lunch stop by the water.
TutukakaScenic Point · A marina village and the departure point for dives at the Poor Knights Islands. Sweeping coastal bends either side of the harbour.
Matapouri BayPhoto Spot · A near-perfect horseshoe of white sand and clear water — the picture-postcard stop of the coast before turning inland.
WhangareiEnd · Return inland to Whangarei to close the loop.
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