Whangamata is well known for its surfing, with the beach offering a variety of breaks.

The Whangamata Bar at the northern end is the top spot, producing long peeling breaks in north-easterly swells on an incoming tide. If the bar is crowded or the tidal flow is too severe, you can simply move down the beach and choose a sandbank peeler to ride.

Whangamata has a number of surfers of national prominence, in both junior and senior grades. Whangamata has been known for many years as a surfing centre, and some of the best surfboard manufacturers and designers around live and work in the town, catering for the needs of surfers who come from near and far.

Surfing New Zealand Website