Karekare Beach
Wilder and emptier than Piha, with a stream to wade before you reach the sand.

A vast black beach backed by cliffs and a lagoon, reached across a shallow stream that most people just walk through. Almost no development and no cell coverage, which is the appeal and also the warning. Unpatrolled, too. Treat it as a beach for walking rather than swimming. The road in is steep and narrow enough that people have cooked their brakes on the way down.
Photos
Avenue · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Unknown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons itravelNZ® - New Zealand in your pocket™ · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Facilities checked 2026-08-13 againstaucklandcouncil.govt.nz, data-aucklandcouncil.opendata.arcgis.com
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