Wharariki Beach

Absolutely gorgeous!!!!! Definitely worth a visit, even more so than farewell spit. We stayed in the area for two nights just to see these two things and it was so worth it. The beach is huge, proper soft sand you can slide down and then spongy wet sand closer to the sea. The rock formations are immense and beautiful. The walk from the carpark is probably about 15/20 mins depending how fast you are. It’s a tiny bit hilly if that’s something you’d struggle with be aware! The seal pools are all the way west, past the arch you climb up through. We saw a young one sleeping low down after we’d already climbed past it, but he didn’t budge when he noticed us. It’s a photographers and a kids dream to run around the rocks and arches. From the strong wind and the sand walking, after a few hours exploring we were knackered! But would do it all again! You should definitely come here if you love beautiful scenery and don’t mind a strong beach breeze!

What we didn’t learn from reviews: There is a very long dirt road to get here but it’s well constructed (just dusty but check gas!). When you get to the beach there is a little cafe at the trail head with ice cream, coffee, refreshments. The parking near the cafe fills up pretty quickly and people park on the road. Once you get there there is a beautiful 15 minute walk to the dunes and the Microsoft view is only about 6 minutes when you reach the dunes. See photos for what the walk looks like, we did it with young kids easily.

Anyone who says this beach isnt amazing either went on a bad day or has terrible taste. This was a highlight of our trip and an absolutely gorgeous beach. We went right after low tide and there were no people on the beach. Its defenitely windy so take that into account but the way the wind moves the sand is beautiful. We also saw a couple seal pups but couldn't get good photos since they were so far away and we need to be respectful of their area. Its such a vast beach with iconic rocks if you've used Microsoft products. Careful when you go to the cave to take the iconic photo we didnt check and a seal was taking a seal nap in there since he blended in so well!

Amazing wild West Coast beach. Beautiful islands 🏝️, beachcombing 🏖️, and wildlife 🦭 in the area. It's very remote, make sure you are prepared with water 💧, food 🍎, clothing 👕, and sunscreen ☀️.

Beautiful Beach. It takes a short 15 min walk over the dunes to the beach. Can only recomend it, Iconic Windows Beach Background, Seals, pretty dunes and just a nice Beach in general. Swimming there can be dangerous tho. But i went for it anyway!

TIP WE GOT FROM A LOCAL: come here at low tide, walk the longer way to the end of the Bach trough the grassland. No one will be at the end of the beach, you can explore caves filled with crabs. On your way back on the beach the wind will only blow from your back, so no sand in your eyes. (Beach was also extremely beautiful, on par with experiences like Milford sound imo.)

Where Windows 10 Was Born (and the Wind Tries to Kill You) About 6–7km of gravel road to get there,then a short,easy 20 minute walk to the beach... Plenty of parking but don’t expect luxury I didn’t see any toilets,so plan your business before you pull up... "Logan was here Catching Winds and Sand's in the Eye" I’ve been to a LOT of beaches across both North and South Island and I’m saying this straight this is the windiest beach in New Zealand... Not “a bit breezy”… I mean wind trying to rewire your spine kind of windy... The Tasman Sea here is absolutely wild... Swimming? Yeah nah... Unless your life goal is to get washed halfway to Australia, don’t even think about it 🌊➡️🇦🇺 Fun fact: this beach is constantly reshaping itself because of the insane wind and waves... That’s why it looks different every time nature hitting refresh like a madman... And let’s clear this up once and for all: People always say Cathedral Cove is the Windows 10 wallpaper beach… WRONG... THIS is the real one... The famous arch,the drama,the vibes Wharariki is the real deal 💻🏖️ Is it worth driving to the literal edge of the map for this?... Absolutely... This place doesn’t feel real it feels like a screensaver you accidentally walked into...

Here because the Windows background photo was taken here. The beach itself is large and beautiful in itself. The tide fluctuates greatly, highly recommended to visit at low tide to visit the caves safely. The fluctuating tide also causes stunning sand patterns on the beach.

Are any of you reading this on a Windows 10 computer? I'm sure a few of you have spent some time staring at your desktop wallpaper thinking "Wooow. Love this photo, I wish I was there right now instead of working.." Well this place is one of those photos! You can refer to my photo.. However mine is missing the woman running across the sand. I just didn't look as majestic when I did it. So I'll spare you all... haha This beach is at one of the north most points of the south island, and it's pretty well hidden! It's about a 10 minute drive up a dirt road big enough for one car but let's make a two car road and make things interesting says New Zealand! When we got to the lot to park there were two wild horses just hanging around the lot. You walk about 15 minutes up a nice hike path that takes you too the beach. I told you.. Well hidden! And this hike was unique for me, mostly all of it is sand. Gives you a little taste of what to expect. As if you didn't already know you were going to a beach.... haha When we went it was almost empty!! That's a vibe! So peaceful, so serene. And it has more than what you see when you first walk up. We didn't walk too much left but everyone says it's even better. And my favorite part?? This beach has Seals! No not that Seal... He's probably never been to New Zealand. I saw one, they can be hard to see because they love to sunbathe on the rocks in the ocean. Try and find some hiding under caves. But don't wake them up, I know how I feel when I'm woken up for no good reason! One of my favorite beaches I've been too so far! I had forgotten what it felt like to walk on a beach and not burn my feet to the point of a potential 911 call. All around wonderful time. If you travel to NZ this should definitely be on your list of destinations to see!

What a great place to visit! It is a bit hidden and you got about 2km or so down a very bumpy dirt road that I am convinced is not at all wide enough for two cars to drive on at the same time, so definitely recommend taking it slow. There is a parking lot marking the start of the hike to the beach that was pretty packed when I got there. I only got a spot because someone was leaving as I arrived. There was a bit of a treat with a feral peacock walking in between the cars, which was fun to see. The hike itself is probably about 20-30mins one way depending on your pace and if you stop to really take in the views. You got through open pastures on this narrow trail that hugs the side of some very steep hills where sheep are openly grazing and it is just gorgeous. The green, tall pastoral hills dotted w/sheep under a clear blue sky just felt completely New Zealand! After you exit the hills down through some forest you come out in the dunes. The sand really took it out of my physically and when I could finally see the actual shoreline, I literally felt like I was never going to get to put my feet in the water because the tide was going out! But, the beach itself is incredibly beautiful! Between the dunes behind you hand the rock formations in the water, it is a little slice of NZ heaven! Needless to say, well worth the hike and you visit to the Farewell Spit is not complete until you have been here!