Porangahau: golden beach and links golf

Porangahau combines a long, golden-sand beach with a 9-hole links course overlooking the sea. There are also historic sites, local offerings and experiences in the coastal landscape. When planning, you can decide whether beach days, golf or exploring the surrounding area will be the focus of your stay.

Beach and coast

Te Paerahi, also known as Pōrangahau Beach, is a long beach with golden sand. Activities available there include surfing, swimming, surfcasting, fishing, diving and kite flying. The range offers different ideas for days by the water, from active beach outings to relaxing by the sea.

Whangaehu Beach is 30 minutes south of Pōrangahau. The coastal landscape there is remote and unspoilt; there are toilets and opportunities for freedom camping. Check road conditions and facilities before travelling.

Golf and local interests

Porangahau Golf Course is on Beach Road in Porangahau and is part of the Porangahau Country Club complex. The club has a 9-hole links course overlooking the sea. The country club is also home to tennis, bowling, art and fishing clubs. Alongside the beach, these offerings give the town an additional sporting and community focus.

History, crafts and guided experiences

St Michael’s Church (Anglican) is on Dundas Street and is a privately owned Category 2 historic site. Nearby, Porangahau Station Woolshed at 497 Hunter Road is classified as a Category 1 historic site and is privately owned. So do not plan to visit either site as a freely accessible attraction.

Pōrangahau War Memorial Hall is at 15 Abercromby Street. It has protected historic values; its memorial plaques are enclosed behind a roller door. Crafty Locals, a craft shop at 17 Beach Road in Porangahau Beach, near the village of Porangahau, sells locally made ceramics, quilts, glasswork, harakeke kete and potae, knitted and wooden items, paintings, prints and natural creams. Russian fudge is also available there occasionally. The range may change.

Porangahau Tours offers guided experiences that include local beaches and other significant sites; confirm tour availability before your trip. Kurawaka Retreat Centre in Porangahau offers holistic wellness programmes, which may not always be available.

Nearby, the self-guided Te Haerenga walk covers 5 km to Te Taumata. Access to Te Taumata, or the site of the longest place name, includes a footpath across a rural farm with livestock. The site itself is on private land; permission is required to enter. A sign for the world’s longest place name stands on Wimbledon Road near Pōrangahau.

Nature and trails in the Central Hawke’s Bay District

The wider travel region includes the Central Hawke’s Bay District. There, the Te Angiangi Marine Reserve, established in 1997, protects 446 hectares of coastline between Aramoana and Blackhead. At low tide, visitors can explore rock pools across the broad tidal platform and may spot octopuses, crayfish, sea anemones and migratory wading birds. The rock pools and potential wildlife sightings offer a different natural highlight from the long sandy beach at Te Paerahi.

Also in the Central Hawke’s Bay District is A’Deanes Bush Scenic Reserve, a 38.5-hectare remnant of the original forest of the Ruataniwha Plains, characterised by mataī and kahikatea trees. The Tukituki Trail is a network of routes for walkers, cyclists, mountain bikers and horse riders. It connects limestone paths on river stopbanks with road links between Waipukurau and Waipawa; motor vehicles are not permitted on the trails. Conditions may change after flooding or maintenance work, so it is worth checking the latest information.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Elsthorpe, Havelock North, Waipawa, Raukawa, Wallingford, Bridge Pa, Takapau, Puketapu.

See the overview of the wider travel region: Hawkes Bay.