Wharariki Beach

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 ☀️.

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...

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.)

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.

Insane spot for sunsets. Can be windy so allow for a couple of days for the best chance of good conditions

Absolutely loved this beach. To reach Wharariki Beach, you need to hike 2 kms from the campsite. The road to the campsite is not good. But trust me, the beach is beautiful. The sand is white and the beach is so damn clean. One of the most beautiful beaches I’ve been to.

There’s 6km dusty roads to arrive.But when you see it, totally worth.

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!