Ahipara Holiday Park

Ahipara Holiday Park sits in the little surf town at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach (Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē), a few minutes from where the sand run to Te Paki Stream starts. It’s a proper holiday park: tent and powered sites, shared kitchen and ablutions, and the usual mix of surfers, fishermen and overlanders working out their tide windows. It’s a good place to wash the road off, fill the water tanks and sort the plan before you commit to the sand.

Treat the beach as a tidal road, not a playground. Drive on hard, wet sand within about two hours either side of low tide, and never park below the high-tide line. Keep clear of soft sand and creek mouths, and watch Te Paki Stream for quicksand if you’re exiting there. Many rental agreements and insurers exclude the beach, so read your paperwork. Check the current rates, site availability and facilities with the park before you roll in, especially over the summer holidays.

Have a dirty day.

Last hot shower before the sand road north.