Last updated October 2026
Pukehina Beach is a long, open stretch of white sand on the Bay of Plenty coast, about 29 kilometres east of central Tauranga in a straight line. The settlement sits on a 10-kilometre peninsula, with the sandy surf beach on one side and the sheltered Waihī Estuary on the other.
Volunteer lifeguards from Pukehina Surf Rescue patrol the beach in front of their clubhouse over summer, and the beach is also popular with surfers, kitesurfers and surfcasters.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council tests the water beside the surf club every week over summer, and the site holds an Excellent long-term grade on LAWA. Parking, a playground, a barbecue and toilets are all within a few hundred metres of the patrolled area.
Swimming Facts
Before you swim: Tested weekly Oct–Mar by Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Stay out for 48 hours after heavy rain. Latest result on LAWA
Today at Pukehina Beach
Sunday 1 NovemberWater quality track record
What the grades mean
Excellent and Good: rarely unsafe for swimming. Fair: usually fine, but avoid swimming after rain. Poor: often unsuitable, especially after rain, so check the latest result first.
Grades use LAWA’s method: the 95th percentile of routine enterococci results over the five summers from 2020/21 to 2024/25, with at least 50 tests (30 per 100 mL from 111 tests).
Surf Facts
Surf today at Pukehina Beach
Surf break at Pukehina Beach
Practical Information
- Location
- Pukehina Surf Rescue clubhouse, 723 Pukehina Parade, Pukehina, Western Bay of Plenty
- Distance from Tauranga
- About 29 km east of the city centre in a straight line; longer by road via the Tauranga Eastern Link
- Water
- Open sea beach with surf; tidal (nearest tide station: Maketu)
- Water quality
- Excellent (LAWA long-term grade, summers 2020/21 to 2024/25)
- Testing
- Weekly from October to March by Bay of Plenty Regional Council, at the surf club
- Patrols
- Volunteer lifeguard patrols on summer weekends from mid-November to the end of February, plus regional lifeguard patrols over the late December and early January peak
- Surf break
- Pukehina Beach is mapped as a surf break in the Bay of Plenty Regional Coastal Environment Plan
- Facilities nearby
- Parking, playground, barbecue and toilets within about 350 m of the testing site
About Pukehina Beach
Pukehina is a small coastal settlement in the Te Puke-Maketu Ward of the Western Bay of Plenty District. Western Bay of Plenty District Council describes its defining feature as a 10-kilometre peninsula, with a sheltered estuary on one side and a sandy beach on the other. It is a popular holiday spot in summer and is growing as a place to live permanently, especially since the Tauranga Eastern Link improved road access from Tauranga.
The ocean side is a long, uncrowded beach facing the open Pacific. Bay of Plenty Tourism points to kilometres of white sand, shore-front picnic tables for a barbecue, and playgrounds close to the beach at Midway Park and Ororoa.
Midway Park also has a walkway through a wetland. The beach is long enough for an unhurried walk along the sand in either direction.
Behind the peninsula lies the Waihī Estuary, which Bay of Plenty Regional Council describes as a taonga located between Maketū and Pukehina. The estuary side is quieter and sheltered, and Bay of Plenty Tourism suggests it for kayaking and for young children to paddle.
The estuary’s health has declined with land drainage, development and more intensive land use since the early 1900s, and the regional council is working with tangata whenua on its restoration. A 30-hectare treatment and tidal wetland on Cutwater Road was commissioned in March 2026 to treat drainage water from neighbouring dairy farms before it reaches the estuary.
The beach is also known for fishing: the district council notes Pukehina is a popular surfcasting spot, so expect to share the sand with anglers at the quieter ends of the beach.
Swimming and Water Quality at Pukehina Beach
The patrolled swimming area is in front of the Pukehina Surf Rescue clubhouse at the end of Pukehina Parade. Volunteer lifeguards from Pukehina Surf Rescue patrol it in summer, with extra regional lifeguard patrols over the busiest holiday weeks.
Days and hours change each season, so check the club’s patrol times before you go, and always swim between the red and yellow flags. This is an open ocean beach with surf, so outside patrol hours and away from the flags there is no lifeguard cover.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council samples the sea at Pukehina by the surf club every week from October to March and sends the results to LAWA. The site has an Excellent LAWA long-term grade, based on 111 routine tests over the summers of 2020/21 to 2024/25.
Across 135 tests between October 2019 and March 2025, 98% were suitable for swimming, and none in that period were graded unsuitable. An Excellent grade means the water has rarely been found unsuitable for swimming, but it is a long-term record, not a promise for any given day.
Check the latest result on LAWA before you swim, and stay out of the water for at least 48 hours after heavy rain.
The regional council’s advice is to avoid swimming for two to three days after heavy or prolonged rain, when farm and urban run-off can carry bacteria into the water, and to keep away from stormwater outlets and flocks of birds.
The weekly testing is on the ocean beach, not in the estuary. The Waihī Estuary has had water quality problems, including a cyanobacteria (potentially toxic algae) bloom in 2018 that led to public health warnings, and the regional council has reported unsafe bacteria levels in shellfish there.
If the estuary water looks green, scummy or smells bad, keep children and dogs out of it, and check LAWA and the Ministry for Primary Industries shellfish warnings before gathering shellfish.
Surfing at Pukehina Beach
Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Regional Coastal Environment Plan maps Pukehina Beach as a beach break, one of a chain of named surf breaks along this coast that also includes the Little Waihi river mouth at the western end of the peninsula, and Newdicks and Maketu beyond it.
Bay of Plenty Tourism notes that the beach draws surfers and kitesurfers, and that surfers looking to escape the crowds will find both left- and right-hand breaks along it.
Board riders should stay well clear of the flagged swimming area during patrol hours. Conditions on an exposed beach like this change quickly with the swell and wind, so check the forecast and surf within your ability.
Where to Learn More
LAWA and Bay of Plenty Regional Council: the latest “Can I Swim Here?” result, health warnings and the long-term grade for Pukehina at Surf Club.
Pukehina Surf Rescue: this season’s volunteer and regional patrol days and hours at Pukehina Beach.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council: how the council tests swimming spots each summer, with advice on rain, algae and shellfish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you swim at Pukehina Beach?
Yes. Pukehina is a surf beach with a lifeguard-patrolled swimming area in front of the surf club over summer. Swim between the flags, check the latest result on LAWA, and stay out for at least 48 hours after heavy rain.
What is the water quality like at Pukehina?
Pukehina at Surf Club has an Excellent LAWA long-term grade, based on summers 2020/21 to 2024/25. Of 135 tests between October 2019 and March 2025, 98% were suitable for swimming.
Is Pukehina Beach patrolled?
Yes, in summer. Pukehina Surf Rescue runs volunteer patrols, and regional lifeguards add patrols over the busiest holiday weeks. Check the club’s website for this season’s days and hours.
When is the water at Pukehina tested?
Bay of Plenty Regional Council samples the beach by the surf club weekly from October to March, and the results are published on LAWA.
Is Pukehina good for surfing?
Pukehina Beach is mapped as a surf break in the Bay of Plenty Regional Coastal Environment Plan, and Bay of Plenty Tourism notes left- and right-hand breaks along the beach. Keep clear of the flagged swimming area during patrols.
Can children swim in the estuary at Pukehina?
The sheltered Waihī Estuary is popular for kayaking and paddling, but it is not the site the council tests weekly and it has had algae and shellfish warnings in the past. Check LAWA and health alerts first, and stay out if the water looks green or scummy.
What facilities are near the beach?
Parking, a playground, a barbecue and public toilets are all within a few hundred metres of the surf club, and Midway Park has a playground and wetland walkway.
Can I bring my dog to Pukehina Beach?
Western Bay of Plenty District Council sets dog walking rules for Pukehina under its Dog Control Bylaw and publishes a map for the area on its dog walking areas page. Check it before you go.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 3
- Today at Pukehina Beach: Tides: LINZ, CC BY 4.0, times for Maketu adjusted from Tauranga using LINZ offsets; the curve shows the shape of the tide, not local heights; predictions only. Sea temperature: NASA JPL MUR satellite data for 29 Oct, via Tideteller.
- Water quality track record: Water quality: © LAWA and partner organisations (Bay of Plenty Regional Council), licensed under CC BY 4.0, results to March 2025.
- Surf Facts: Breaks, type and skill level: Bay of Plenty Regional Council surf break layer (CC BY-ND 4.0). The way each break faces, the swell that can reach it and its offshore wind are worked out from the LINZ coastline (CC BY 4.0); positions checked on LINZ aerial photos. Legal access: Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa, Outdoor Access Commission, from LINZ and DOC data (CC BY 4.0).