Waipu Cove is a great wee beach and a lovely destination for a fun day trip out of Auckland. There…read moreare a few nice beaches nearby and this is one of my favourites. This is a well known spot for surfers and surf life savers. It's a really long beach which means even on the busiest of days there is room for everyone. Speaking of busy days, it can be a bit of a challenge to find a park, but as in rural New Zealand, just park up on the side of the road. The last time I went there, there was a Surf Life Saving event on and the place was buzzing. The water is generally safe to swim in and there are often great waves to be had. The sand isn't the nicest, by that I mean it's not white. But it's all good, because e harder sand is great for playing sports on. There is also an awesome walkway from here to Langs Beach and fantastic swimming spots at either end. There's a really great looking Camp site right on the edge of the beach which goes off around the holidays. A very cool place to visit.

This is probably one of my favourite camp sites around, and it's not all that far from Auckland…read moreCity. It's pretty cheap to stay here, and if you get your timing right and miss the peak season you will have the campsite almost to yourself. Everything here is clean and well maintained, and the staff are extremely friendly and happy to answer any questions. All these things are great, but that's not even the best part. The best part about this campsite is its location. It's situated right on the edge of Waipu Cove Beach; a beautiful white sand beach that is massive and usually pretty deserted, the beach is an awesome place to swim, fish, and just chill out. I can't wait to come back here for a holiday. There are other nice beaches around this area too if you're keen to go for a drive and check them out.