North Island
Bay of Plenty
Long white beaches, the warmest sea, and orchards to the hills.
North Island · Nature lovers · Active travellers · Families
The Bay of Plenty lives up to its name in every season. The bay stretches from the Coromandel to Ōpōtiki in a vast arc of sheltered coastline, with Mt Maunganui, the country's most loved beach town, at its heart. The water here is warm enough to swim comfortably through summer, and the surf is consistent enough to justify the boards stacked against every second house.
But the Bay of Plenty's most extraordinary feature lies offshore: Whakaari / White Island, an active marine volcano that rises from the sea 50 kilometres from Whakatāne. Nobody has landed there since the eruption of 2019; a flight from Whakatāne circles it at height, and the crater lake, the steam and the yellow of the sulphur read clearly from the air. The region's kiwifruit orchards and Māori cultural heritage (Te Arawa and Ngāti Awa) add further layers to a destination that repays genuine curiosity.
Among its moments
- Whakaari / White Island, circled by air from Whakatāne
- Mt Maunganui beach and summit walk
- Private dolphin-watching cruise, Whakatāne
- Kiwifruit orchard and food producer tours
- Mataatua Wharenui, Whakatāne, the meeting house that came home
Bay of Plenty in photographs
Near here
All thirty regions, on the map