Orakawa Bay Walk

I have an attraction to Waihi Beach.  Every so often I am drawn to it, usually in the winter on a grey day when there is nobody else on the beach.  In fact, I wanted to purchase property there, but a house there with unobstructed views of the ocean (like I have currently elsewhere) is out of my price range.

The Orakawa Track runs from the northern end of Waihi Beach over to Orakawa Bay, which is a sheltered strip of white sand on the southern part of the Coromandel Peninsula.  It is a 1.3km journey that I usually make in half of the suggested walk time of 45 minutes.  Now, when researching Orakawa Bay, I realise the track continues much further to Homunga Bay; a trek I hope to do the next time I am in the neighbourhood.  The photos in this post are from when I did this walk in August of 2016.

After leaving the sand from the northern end of Waihi Beach, the track initially curves Eastward, allowing some glimpses through the trees back down along Waihi Beach.

The track ascends quickly to a point about 10-20 metres above the rocky coastline, and in general follows that coastline as it goes, occasionally dipping down and inland to bridge the odd stream or creek, although these might be dry during the summer months.  From a number of vantage points you gain stunning views out toward Mayor Island, an extinct volcano about 20km distant; charter boats can be taken from Tauranga/Mount Maunganui out there if you so desire, and it is crossed by a number of tramping trails (I went there on a school trip once, to do some walking, getting stuck on the island an extra night due to bad weather, and eating raw wild rhubarb as we’d run out of food, but that’s a different story).

As the walk meanders through native bush, eventually you gain glimpses of Orakawa Bay well before you eventually drop to sea level as you arrive.

The bay itself is a protected strip of white sand with numerous pohutukawa trees growing in the grassy banks behind the beach.

A stream flows out from a low gulley across the beach and down to the water.  At the northern end of the beach are rocks that can be clambered over, and inland of there is evidence of a further track – possibly that heading inland and around to Homunga Bay.