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Introduction
Australia
  New Zealand 

NEW ZEALAND
NORTH ISLAND
Auckland / Northland
Central
Wellington
 
SOUTH ISLAND
Northern
Central / Southern


NORTH ISLAND

Auckland & Northland      MAP     [ ↑ ]

NUDE BEACHES

Auckland is the only really large city in New Zealand, with a metro area of nearly 1.5 million people, or about one third of the population of the entire country. The city's central business district (CBD) is located on the south side of Waitemata Harbour (a.k.a. Auckland Harbour) and is connected to the northern suburbs by the kilometer-long Auckland Harbour Bridge. The most recognizable structure of the CBD is an observation tower called the Sky Tower, which is just slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and has a similarly iconic effect on the city skyline.

There are a number of well-established nude beaches that are either within or near metro Auckland. The two that are most centrally located are St. Leonards Beach  36.8003S, 174.7919E  , which is about 10 kilometers by car from the CBD (across the Harbour Bridge) and Ladies Bay Beach  36.8440S, 174.8634E   , which is also about 10 kilometers by car from the CBD, but directly east and with great views of the city's skyline. Although conveniently located, both these beaches have tarnished images, and many Aucklanders prefer to go a bit farther afield to find a naturist atmosphere more to their liking.

About 25 kilometers north of the CDB, Pohutukawa Bay Beach  36.6688S, 174.7467E  in the suburb of Long Bay is quite beautiful and secluded. Nudity is very well established, but a potential drawback is the long (but scenic) hike of nearly 2 kilometers. East of Auckland, Waiheke Island is a sizable land mass of 92 square kilometers that is roughly 20 kilometers from the CDB as the crow flies, and Little Palm Beach  36.7798S, 175.0400E  is a charming nudist cove on the north side of the island. Although Little Palm is one of New Zealand's best loved nude beaches, it is more of an occasional getaway for Auckland naturists due to the time and expense of the requisite ferry trip. About 30 kilometers southwest of the CBD, Orpheus Bay Beach  37.0096S, 174.5787E  on Manukau Harbour is quite secluded, tucked away in a large area of forested parkland. It is a rather obscure and lightly attended nude beach despite its relative proximity to Auckland, but it is highly regarded by those in the know.

The peninsular land mass than extends northward from Auckland is known as Northland, and it has the warmest climate of any part of New Zealand. About 125 kilometers directly north of Auckland and 32 kilometers south of Whangeri, Uretiti Beach  35.9379S, 174.4626E  on the east side of the peninsula is the premier nude beach of New Zealand. It is especially popular as a weekend escape for Auckland naturists, and there is a primitive (but textile) campground next to the beach. Farther north, Waitata Bay Beach  35.2553S, 174.1314E  in the small and very remote town of Russell is about 240 kilometers by car from Auckland. Due to the efforts of the naturist-friendly owner of the property next to the beach, there is a sign at this small and hidden beach announcing that Waitata Bay is a naturist beach, but the beach is little known and lightly attended despite the sign.

LODGING

     Auckland Sun Club    36.9222S, 174.5989E 
          Oratia (suburban Auckland)

     Auckland Outdoor Naturist Club    36.8740S, 174.6088E 
          Ranui (suburban Auckland)

     Counties Sun Club    37.1354S, 174.9755E 
          Ramarama (south of Auckland)

Central North Island      MAP     [ ↑ ]
     (Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Taranaki, Waikato)

NUDE BEACHES

The Bay of Plenty is a very long and prominent indentation that stretches over 250 kilometers along the eastern side of the north coast of the North Island, and Tauranga is the largest town along the bay, located toward its western end, about 200 kilometers southeast of Auckland. Near Tauranga, a small section of Papamoa Beach   37.6785S, 176.2478E  is a well-established and easily accessible nude beach, and it continues to draw nudists even though the surrounding area has seen an explosion of growth and development over the past few decades.

Orokawa Bay Beach  37.3844S, 175.9387E  and Homunga Bay Beach  37.3615S, 175.9376E  are nearby beaches located in a scenic reserve near the town of Waihi, which is about 150 kilometers southeast of Auckland at the far western end of the Bay of Plenty. Neither can be described as being firmly established nude beaches, but both get very limited use and nudity is usually possible. We have included them here because they are especially beautiful beaches. Both require a good bit of hiking. It is about 45 minutes from either beach to the closest respective parking area, then it takes about 90 minutes to walk from one beach to the other.

Between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty, the Coromandel Peninsula is a scenic, hilly landmass that juts northward for over 80 kilometers. On the east side of the peninsula near Whangamata, nude bathing is quite common at Opoutere Beach  37.0907S, 175.8860E  a long and rather remote beach that is sparsely attended.

LODGING

     Taranaki Naturist Club    38.9972S, 174.1856E 
          Brixton (Taranaki)

     Manawatu Naturist Club    40.3595S, 175.2769E 
          Himatangi (Manawatu-Wanganui)

     Katikati Naturist Park    37.5731S, 175.8926E 
          Katikati (Bay of Plenty)

     Bay of Plenty Sun Club    37.9246S, 176.7418E 
          Matata (Bay of Plenty)

     Rotota Sun Club    38.4666S, 176.1503E 
          Mihi (Waikato)

     Hawke's Bay Naturist Club    39.4436S, 176.7521E 
          Puketapu (Hawke's Bay)

     Guysers Gaystay    38.1371S, 176.2439E 
          Rotorua (Bay of Plenty)

     Waikato Outdoor Society    37.7810S, 175.3792E 
          Tamahere (Waikato)

Wellington      MAP     [ ↑ ]

NUDE BEACHES

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, and it is located at the far south end of the North Island. With a bit less than 400,000 residents, metro Wellington is less than one third the size of metro Auckland. About 10 kilometers southeast of the city center, Breaker Bay Beach  41.3298S, 174.8356E  is a well-attended nude beach that is the most popular place for bare bathing anywhere in the southern half of the North Island. About 65 kilometers north of Wellington, Peka Peka Beach  40.8165S, 175.0656E  near the small town of Waikanae is the second best established nude beach in the general vicinity of the capital city, but it is a distant second in popularity to Breaker Bay.

LODGING

     Wellington Naturist Club    41.0927S, 175.1344E 
          Te Marua (Upper Hutt)



SOUTH ISLAND

Northern      MAP     [ ↑ ]
     (Marlborough, Nelson, Tasman, West Coast)

NUDE BEACHES

Tasman Bay is the most prominent indentation of the far north end of the South Island, and the town of Nelson, which is the third largest town of the South Island, is located on this bay. About 20 kilometers by car from Nelson, Rabbit Island  41.2688S, 173.1672E  is an uninhabited island that is bridged to the mainland and operated as a day-use park with very limited development. The island has over 8 kilometers of beach that faces Tasman Bay, and nude bathing is well known to occur toward the eastern end, but crowds are small.

North and west of Tasman Bay, rather isolated Golden Bay is known for its laid-back atmosphere and countercultural ethos. At the south end of Golden Bay, sporadic nudity occurs at the beaches of Wainui Bay Beaches  40.8072S, 172.9282E  , some of which are within the boundaries of Abel Tasman National Park.

LODGING

     Mapua Leisure Park    41.2512S, 173.1060E 
          Mapua (Tasman)

     Autumn Farm    40.8791S, 172.8211E 
          Takaka (Golden Bay)

     Nelson Sun Club    41.3130S, 173.0180E 
          Upper Moutere (Tasman)

Central / Southern      MAP     [ ↑ ]
     (Canterbury, Otago, Southland)

NUDE BEACHES

      With a metro area of not quite 400,000 people, Christchurch is by far the largest city of the South Island, and it is so similar in size to Wellington that the two cities are virtually tied for the title of second largest city in New Zealand after Auckland. On the north end of Christchurch, there is a long stretch of lightly attended and mostly undeveloped beach that extends almost 10 kilometers, and the central area of this stretch is known as Spencer Park Beach  43.4249S, 172.7135E  . There is ample space for nude bathing, with most nudity occurring a bit north of the main textile area of Spencer Park.

LODGING

     Southern Naturally    46.0653S, 168.0532E 
          Aparima (Southland)

     South Canterbury Sun Club    44.0409S, 171.2711E 
          Orari Gorge (Canterbury)

     Pineglades Naturist Club    43.6042S, 172.3723E 
          Rolleston (Canterbury)

     Orchard Sun Club    45.5665S, 170.1229E 
          Sutton (Otago)
















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