Matakana Island
photo by erremedia

General

A long, flat island mostly covered with pine forest, Matakana has one of New Zealand's best beach breaks for surfing. A powerful north-easterly swell on a high tide produces great sand barrels. Matakana's surf side is a nesting site for a large number of sea birds, including the endangered New Zealand dotterel.

To get to Matakana Island to surf, you will need your own boat or find someone in a boat to take you. It is illegal to paddle across from Mount Maunganui.

It's possible to visit the inner harbour side of Matakana island on a guided tour, which involves a ferry trip and a journey across tidal sand flats on a restored 1914 wagon drawn by Clydesdale horses. The trip includes historic sites and a barbecue lunch.

Copyright 1999-2009 Tourism New Zealand

Contact & location

Be the first one to add a review

Already have an account? Log In
Will never be displayed

The photos displayed on this page are the property of one of the following authors:

erremedia, dcysurfer

Some photos courtesy of: . The photos provided by Flickr are under the copyright of their owners.

This travel guide also includes text from Wikitravel articles, all available at WikitravelView full credits

This travel guide also includes text from Wikipedia articles, all available at WikipediaView full credits

Share this:

My lists

People who'd like to go there (1)

Going to Matakana Island?
... and need recommendations

Ask your friends on Facebook

Ask on Twitter