A LITTLE SLICE OF HEAVEN
24 SEPTEMBER 2022
The beach offers crystal clear water
We Cannot Find A Name For This
Ok, so this one isn't EXACTLY called Bream Bay.... all of the unnamed bays on google are called Bream Bay and there is NO name for it on any map! We even contacted DoC to see if they had a name for the bay, but no luck. So, we're calling it Bream Bay Beach - unless you can tell us the real name of the beach then we would really appreciate it.
It's a crystal clear, idyllic beach in Whangarei Heads, Northland. To get access to it, you'll need to walk for 10 - 15 minutes as part of the Smuggler's Bay Loop Track, which is AMAZING by the way! The walk is 100% worth it as you walk through the countryside, with the harbour on your right and gun emplacements from WWII along the way, passing by curious cows and stepping over their steaming poop.
You'll reach the spot on the hill just before you start heading down to Bream Bay Beach and you will know you have made the right choice by going there! The lookout is incredible - when you look down at the bay, you can see just how clear the water is and if you're lucky, you may even see marine life swimming about.
We did the whole track on a really mint day and if it was a cloudy day, I'm sure the water would have just looked grey! We had no intention of stopping at Bream Bay Beach as we had read so much about how amazing Smuggler's Bay Beach is and we had only planned to stop there. As soon as we looked down and saw that amazing water, we knew that we had to explore it!
It's a crystal clear, idyllic beach in Whangarei Heads, Northland. To get access to it, you'll need to walk for 10 - 15 minutes as part of the Smuggler's Bay Loop Track, which is AMAZING by the way! The walk is 100% worth it as you walk through the countryside, with the harbour on your right and gun emplacements from WWII along the way, passing by curious cows and stepping over their steaming poop.
You'll reach the spot on the hill just before you start heading down to Bream Bay Beach and you will know you have made the right choice by going there! The lookout is incredible - when you look down at the bay, you can see just how clear the water is and if you're lucky, you may even see marine life swimming about.
We did the whole track on a really mint day and if it was a cloudy day, I'm sure the water would have just looked grey! We had no intention of stopping at Bream Bay Beach as we had read so much about how amazing Smuggler's Bay Beach is and we had only planned to stop there. As soon as we looked down and saw that amazing water, we knew that we had to explore it!
Lath and Sienna at the top of the path leading down to the beach
You'll be greeted with incredible views of the bay
The right end of the beach is best for swimming
To Go Or Not To Go - That Is The Question
The girls were soooo excited to head down to the beach, especially Bella. She loves exploring rock pools and seeing what she can discover in the water.
It can be really difficult to leave the viewpoint and head down, as it's so amazing up there! You get a view of the caribbean blue water and you can suss out which spots are best for swimming in and which are best for snorkeling. So, do you stay and enjoy the view, or head down and explore?
Down we go. It only took a couple of minutes to walk down the track from the top of the hill, it's a well-maintained track, partly covered by native bush. There is no official path to get to the beach (well, not that we saw anyway) but there is a grass area at the bottom of the track, on the right, that leads down to the beach. There is a drain running through this area, so it can get a little soggy.
It can be really difficult to leave the viewpoint and head down, as it's so amazing up there! You get a view of the caribbean blue water and you can suss out which spots are best for swimming in and which are best for snorkeling. So, do you stay and enjoy the view, or head down and explore?
Down we go. It only took a couple of minutes to walk down the track from the top of the hill, it's a well-maintained track, partly covered by native bush. There is no official path to get to the beach (well, not that we saw anyway) but there is a grass area at the bottom of the track, on the right, that leads down to the beach. There is a drain running through this area, so it can get a little soggy.
The path down to the beach
The path down to the beach give some reprieve from the sun
The beach is mainly covered in rocks, so don't expect to be laying on the sand!
The grass area we crossed to get down to the beach
The Octopus Tried To Take My Phone!
Every time we go to a beach in Northland, the first thing we do is look in the rock pools. Seriously, you are pretty much guaranteed to see something you haven't seen before! Because the water is so clear, it's easy to spot some new, crazy creature or a curious octopus like Lath found.
He (or she) was swimming around the rockpools, ducking and diving and hiding under rocks. The girls were so excited that they tried to run across the rocks and we had to WHOA NELLY them to slow down or they would have gone face first into a rock.
We all stood on a rock each around the pool the octopus was in and watched it moving around. Lath put a stick into the water and the octopus took offence to this and latched on for dear life!! It was so incredibly strong! I guess he can now tick off tug-o-war with an octopus off his bucket list!
I managed to get my phone in to get a video and some photos. I almost lost it at once point when the octopus tried to grab it! We wanted to film using our Gopro we had just bought buuuut someone forgot the SD card for it.
We watched it for about 15-minutes before it swam away. It was a great first part of our walk on the Smugglers Bay Loop Track and the girls were buzzing about it for ages. This is why we love travelling, we see so much that the girls, and ourselves, can learn about and they get a complete hands-on learning experience.
He (or she) was swimming around the rockpools, ducking and diving and hiding under rocks. The girls were so excited that they tried to run across the rocks and we had to WHOA NELLY them to slow down or they would have gone face first into a rock.
We all stood on a rock each around the pool the octopus was in and watched it moving around. Lath put a stick into the water and the octopus took offence to this and latched on for dear life!! It was so incredibly strong! I guess he can now tick off tug-o-war with an octopus off his bucket list!
I managed to get my phone in to get a video and some photos. I almost lost it at once point when the octopus tried to grab it! We wanted to film using our Gopro we had just bought buuuut someone forgot the SD card for it.
We watched it for about 15-minutes before it swam away. It was a great first part of our walk on the Smugglers Bay Loop Track and the girls were buzzing about it for ages. This is why we love travelling, we see so much that the girls, and ourselves, can learn about and they get a complete hands-on learning experience.
It's great being able to see marine life in their natural environment
The water here is so clear - perfect for rock pool exploring!
Sienna checking out Mr Octopus
Check out the colour of that water!
We Didn't Want To Leave
This beach isn't a white sandy beach, like Smuggler's Bay Beach a few bays around, it's a beach full of rocks of various sizes so if you're planning on spending the day here, you might want to bring a chair to sit on! We were there for only an hour and we spent the whole time exploring, so no chairs were needed. The right side of the beach had smaller rocks and there were large rocks and driftwoord scattered across the bay that are great for sitting on too.
The bay is peaceful and quiet, with only the odd boat passing by in the harbour. The water is an incredible blue, showing everything below, like Mr Octopus above. The trees on the hills are a lush green and super dense, which were a stark contrast against the blue water and gave off Hawaii vibes. You get a great view of the harbour from this beach, including Marsden Bay and Ruakaka Beach.
We were lucky that it was low tide when we were there because it meant we could explore all of the rock pools and head out onto some rocks jutting out a few meters into the water. The beach seemed to get quite deep here, which meant that it's the perfect spot for snorkeling as you don't have to swim out for ages to get some decent depth. These rocks were covered in oysters, so you definitely need some decent shoes if you're going to step onto them! We spent aaaages looking into the water, hoping to see some more sea life, but not today my friend! If only the water was a lot warmer and we had snorkels and masks.
There is an area more to the right side of the beach, to the right of the big rocks jutting out in the water, that would be perfect for swimming in as there is an area where there aren't any rocks either side for a few meters.
We struggled to leave the beach as it was so incredible with the water colour and the amount of cool rocks and shells the girls found and we can't forget Mr Octopus! Bella was the most upset at leaving, she loooooved it! But we had come to do the Smuggler's Bay Loop Track so we had to push on and once we got to Smuggler's Bay Beach around the corner she was wowed and happy again!
The bay is peaceful and quiet, with only the odd boat passing by in the harbour. The water is an incredible blue, showing everything below, like Mr Octopus above. The trees on the hills are a lush green and super dense, which were a stark contrast against the blue water and gave off Hawaii vibes. You get a great view of the harbour from this beach, including Marsden Bay and Ruakaka Beach.
We were lucky that it was low tide when we were there because it meant we could explore all of the rock pools and head out onto some rocks jutting out a few meters into the water. The beach seemed to get quite deep here, which meant that it's the perfect spot for snorkeling as you don't have to swim out for ages to get some decent depth. These rocks were covered in oysters, so you definitely need some decent shoes if you're going to step onto them! We spent aaaages looking into the water, hoping to see some more sea life, but not today my friend! If only the water was a lot warmer and we had snorkels and masks.
There is an area more to the right side of the beach, to the right of the big rocks jutting out in the water, that would be perfect for swimming in as there is an area where there aren't any rocks either side for a few meters.
We struggled to leave the beach as it was so incredible with the water colour and the amount of cool rocks and shells the girls found and we can't forget Mr Octopus! Bella was the most upset at leaving, she loooooved it! But we had come to do the Smuggler's Bay Loop Track so we had to push on and once we got to Smuggler's Bay Beach around the corner she was wowed and happy again!
This is the perfect spot for snorkeling
A view of the Marsden Oil Refinery in the distance
This driftwood became an awesome climbing frame for the kids
Hawaii vibes!
Know Before You Go
- This beach isn't named on any map - look for the first beach you come to, on the Smugglers Bay Loop Track
- You access it along the Smugglers Bay Loop Track, after the WWII gun emplacements
- It takes 10 - 15 minutes to get here from the Urquharts Bay carpark
- At low tide you'll be able to access and explore the rock pools
- At high tide it will be great for swimming and snorkeling
- Go on a sunny day so you can see how amazingly clear the water is!
- Parking at the Urquharts Bay carpark can get really busy so you may need to park further down the street - best to get there early!
- The track isn't suitable for prams
- There are toilets at the carpark
- There aren't many food places along the way, so pack a picnic and drinks
- Bring a chair or something comfy to sit on as the beach is mainly rocks/pebbles
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
This beach is located 40 mins from the Whangarei CBD and it's a beauuutiful drive along the coast and countryside. Plug in the Urquharts Bay car park into your maps and once you get there, take the Smugglers Bay Loop Track and it's around a 10-minute walk to the beach and just over the hill from the gun emplacements.
Conclusion
This beach is absolute paradise. It's perfect for swimming and there are so many rocks which make it perfect for snorkeling. It's not a long walk at all from the carpark and we would highly recommend spending the day here! There's so much to keep everyone entertained and it's such a peaceful place. If you're up for it, you can complete the rest of the Smugglers Bay Loop Track - read all about it in our blog here.
Gallery of Bream Bay Beach
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in Northland
SMUGGLERS BAY BEACH
NORTHLAND Like something from Hawaii, this beach boasts emerald water surrounded by mountains and is just a 10 minute walk from the carpark. |
SMUGGLERS BAY LOOP TRACK
NORTHLAND If you want to go to paradise, this is the place! Emerald water, clear rock pools and octopus encounters await you.
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WHANGAREI FALLS
NORTHLAND A powerful 23.6m high waterfall along the Hatea River in central Whangarei. These falls will blow your mind. Remember your raincoat! |
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