‘You feel like you’re in Fiji’

The long list has been whittled down to 10 final contenders and today we profile Maitai Bay in our hunt for the best of the best in our land of superb beaches

— a shoo-in on our judges’ shortlist of 10 candidates for New Zealand’s Best Beach — won’t be affected as they swim, snorkel, kayak, camp or laze at the idyllic spot, previously known as “Matai Bay”. Windelborn explains the name arises from the arrival of an early European ship, the Shepherd, about 200 years ago. Previously unseen in Aotearoa, its metal nails glinted in the sun,

HTo vote for New Zealand’s best beach go to tinyurl.com/ votenzbestbeach giving the bay its name — Maitai translates as “shining treasure”.

He says the difference between spellings is due to differences in pronunciation among Maori dialects.

Will Gowans, one of many who nominated Maitai Bay, says it’s the country’s best beach “because of its clean, crystal-clear waters and its beautiful, white, soft sand”.

“The feeling of soft, hot sand rubbing between your toes is the best feeling ever, and the beach glistens in the scorching hot sun that creates the best Kiwi summer holiday.

“At one end there are rocks where you can snorkel and see the wild sealife. The clear blue water where the sun shines makes it feel like you’re in the tropical waters of Fiji.

“When sunbathing, you can hear hundreds of tui that fly in and out of the bright red pohutukawa.

“A five-minute walk from the lushest beach leads you to the campground where families are enjoying freshly caught fish” (perhaps not while the rahui’s in place, Will).

One of our judges had to admit favouritism when Maitai Bay appeared on the long list of 26 beaches around the country. “Maitai Bay is in my top three beaches,” admitted Surf Life Saving NZ’s Matt Williams.

“If you’re looking for a threedimensional beach as opposed to a one- or two-dimensional beach where you can enjoy the view and take a nice picture, this has it in spades”.

Singer-surfer Jamie McDell enjoys its clear waters, while University of Waikato coastal researcher Karin Bryan brings a different perspective: “What I love . . . is the natural backdrop. You’ve got the dune plants in the front and the proper trees, no plantation trees.”