A locals favourite, this secluded beach is only accessible by boat or a short 5-10 minute walk through the lush native New Zealand Bush.
If you’re heading to Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove or Cooks Beach it’s well worth the short detour. Drive along Purangi Road and look out for the turnoff signposted Shakespeare Cliff Lookout. Once you’ve taken the turnoff, shortly up the gravel road, you can choose to turn left for spectacular views over Mercury Bay or right to Lonely Bay.
When you first step off the track the beach is filled with tiny seashells, which trail off to become pristine fine white sand. Surrounded by lush native bush and towering sandstone cliffs, this is one of my favourite spots for the kids with plenty of shade under the ancient pohutukawa trees to set up for a picnic, seashells to discover and rocks to explore.
The small and big kids alike will love climbing the grizzled trees overhanging the beach and exploring the the intriguing rock formations. With crystal clear waters it’s a great spot for swimming and if you’re lucky you may even see dolphins.
On the way home I highly recommend stopping at The Hive. Delicious food, kid friendly and such a beautiful setting. Sit inside or under the kiwifruit trees and enjoy delicious share platters, wood fired pizzas and burgers while the kids play on the grass. Pop next door to the attached shop to browse their selection of plants, ceramics and homeware.
Check out my other blog post on Flaxmill Bay, which is just around the corner, for more places to stop for a bite.
The amazing rock formations have also provided the location for a number of my photoshoots for my collections for Le Edit.