Both Patea and Hawera in South Taranaki have beautiful towering beach cliffs (see Recent Images) only a few kilometers away. These places are often overlooked in terms of scenic beauty, but they are as special as anywhere in New Zealand. At low tide, and after a bit of a walk along the beach, you can experience the grandeur and solitude of standing below the cliffs, looking out to sea, with smooth sand all round! With a little luck you will be entirely on your own as these places are not well known other than to the locals. A good time to go is around dawn or dusk an hour or two after high tide. At Patea you can stay at the Patea Beach Motor Camp – a unique Kiwi experience. At Hawera you head directly south to Waihi Beach, for a short steepish walk down to the beach and the cliffs.
Another similarly special place, this time in North Taranaki, is White Cliffs, about 40kms north of New Plymouth (again see Recent Images). This is also a low tide experience – or if you are really serious about 2 hours after high tide!