New Zealand Backpacker Travel - Adventure off the beaten track

NEW ZEALAND BACKPACKER ADVENTURE TRAVEL

NZ Beaches

New Zealand is made up of three main islands – all surrounded by amazing coastline. The majority is still accessible to the public and Stray takes you to as much of it as possible. Our mild climate also means that almost every beach and their local activities such as sailing or seal spotting are available year round.

Hahei Beach.
We stay in cabins beside one of New Zealand’s most beautiful white sand beaches. At one end of the beach is the famous Cathedral Cove walk, the next beach along is ‘Hot Water beach’ where you can dig a hole in the sand and sit in your own hot pool.

Raglan Surf Town.
We stay in a lodge in the bush, which is a few hundred metres from a world famous surf break and wild coastline. Try the surf school or simply go for a walk along the beach or in the bush on Mount Karioi.

Paihia and Cape Reinga
Paihia is situated in the Bay of Islands and as the name suggests is surrounded by islands. There are fantastic beaches with all numbers of water related activities, including diving, swimming with dolphins, sailing trips, waka trips (Maori canoe), and day trips up to Cape Reinga which is the most northern part of New Zealand. On the day trip you'll see the famous Ninety Mile beach and get the chance to do some sand boarding.

East Cape Trip
The East Cape has some of the most beautiful untouched beaches in New Zealand. You can relax, do a bit of fishing, gather your own kaimoana (seafood) talk to the locals in all of the stops, as well as riding the waves in Gisborne which is a renown surf town.

Abel Tasman National Park
We stay a day and a night on the farm on the edge of the park, which is surrounded by a gorgeous golden sand coastline. If you’re looking to chill out… head out on a walk, fine a secluded spot and enjoy!

Barrytown
A great beach for long walks to admire the rugged scenery. A popular spot for bonfires and searching for greenstone – it’s hard to find but a traveler once found a piece worth over $500

The Catlins
There are beautiful, remote golden beaches in this area with the main attraction being the variety or rare wildlife including penguins, sea lions, seals, and dolphins that you can usually spot while visiting.

Moeraki
The main reason we go to this beach is to see the boulders – they lie on the beach and are unusual for the fact they are almost perfectly round and as much as 2 metres in diameter. Of course you can also go for a swim here or just lie on the beach (like a boulder).

Kaikoura
We stay right by the beach in Kaikoura and there are lots of great options including swimming with the seals, whale watching and swimming with dolphins.