It is easy to be distracted by the sunshine and surf that have long marked Waihī Beach as a playground for transient holidaymakers.
However, the sands have shifted. These days, the Bay of Plenty community boasts a vibrant permanent population (about 3500 people) determined to create New Zealand’s most sustainable beach town. In practice, that means everything from wetland planting programmes by the local marae to award-winning waste reduction initiatives at a beachfront café, as well as community-wide projects to slash single-use plastics or instal public water bottle refilling stations.
Surf Shack café owners Pip and Jo Coombes moved to Waihī Beach for the obvious reasons; 10km of pristine coastline and abundant native bush. And the business owners quickly set out to look after what they relished. Pip is the driving force behind the community’s recently-formed Sustainable Waihī Beach group.
“This place is utterly stunning,” she says. “It makes total sense to try and protect our precious taonga.”
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“Many like-minded community members have been working in the background over the last few years to see what we can do to help. And yes, absolutely, our goal is to be the most sustainable beach town in Aotearoa.”
For visitors, their collective efforts mean a holiday without eco-guilt.
The main shopping street is small – walk from end to end in about two minutes – but it is jammed with great quality distractions and ethical owner-operators who make it easy to ‘shop local’. Don’t forget to explore the alleyways and, on Sunday mornings, support small businesses at the weekly craft, clothing, food and produce market.
Sunday Homestore
Find lovely Claybird ceramics made using Waihī Beach sand and expect a heavy focus on contemporary New Zealand designers and makers, including some products made exclusively for this store. Beauty aside, the owners’ ethos for what they call a “well-designed life” encompasses ideas around minimalism and intentional living. See: sundayhomestore.co.nz
Inside Out
Buy living greenery for your home and great things to place it in. This wee alleyway store specialises in plants and pots, though their giftware includes made in Waihī Beach Wildflower soy candles.
Chez Moi
Swiss-born chocolatier Ines Hasler discovered Waihī Beach as a backpacker and now hand crafts indulgent chocolate treats in her tiny store. Her truffles utilise certified organic cream alongside oranges, lemons and mint grown in her own garden, as well as New Zealand-grown passion fruit, feijoas, figs, macadamia nuts and more. Her white chocolate flowers, each set in a chocolate pot, are exquisite. See: chezmoichocolate.com
Ahu Aromas
Find skincare products made by two Waihī Beach residents who utilise natural and certified organic ingredients and refillable, recyclable containers. Their home and giftware range includes picnic rugs made with recycled cotton and beach umbrellas made from recycled plastic bottles. See: ahuaromas.co.nz
Village People
Feel good buying from this fair trade gift shop. Find everything from handcrafted Nepalese yak blankets to beaded African necklaces, all ethically, sustainably sourced from villages around the world. And owner Lorraine Bax knows the story behind each item. See: facebook.com/villagepeoplestore
Beach Road Garden Centre
Aside from stocking the obvious, this little gem of a plant nursery grows fresh fruit and vegetables and sources more from locals. They also sell kombucha made in nearby Katikati. Find it on the main road to Waihī. See: beachroadgardencentre.co.nz
Also look out for the Paulo Farms fruit, vegetable and flower stall on Dillon Street, one block back from the beach. Everything is grown using regenerative farming practices.
Flatwhite
This is the kind of place where local growers show up at the back door with seasonal fruit or mushrooms that instantly become that day’s menu special. Expect a drop-dead gorgeous beachfront venue, organic fair trade coffee and know that everything possible is reused, composted or recycled, including building materials used to extend the popular cafe. In 2020, Flatwhite won the ‘most sustainable business’ gong at Tauranga’s annual business awards. See: flatwhite.co.nz
The Secret Garden
Aside from the extraordinary Balinese-style hidden garden, this place prides itself on dishing up authentic Mexican street food as well as baked goods and Havana coffee. It’s the place to go for live music, open mic nights and poetry readings. Behind the scenes, all packaging, garden and food scraps are composted before being gifted to a local grower. See: facebook.com/secretgardenwaihibeach
Surf Shack
The owners of this Kiwi bach-style eatery have collected several awards and a lot of local love. In part, it’s the giant pancakes and burgers that inspire customer loyalty but owners Pip and Jo Coombes also give generously to the community and are obsessive about their environmental responsibilities. Pip is the driving force behind the newly-founded Sustainable Waihī Beach group. See: surfshackeatery.co.nz
Athenree Hot Springs & Holiday Park
Guests come for the classic Kiwi holiday vibe, the onsite natural mineral pools and proximity to the estuary. But this well-run holiday park has undertaken an extraordinary list of sustainability initiatives, from bird and bee-friendly plantings to community donations, pest control, extensive recycling systems, water and energy conservation measures and choosing eco-friendly cleaning products. They even removed instant noodles from the camp shop because the product contained palm oil. Accommodation options run the gamut from tents to motel-style units. See: athenreehotsprings.co.nz
Waihī Beach Paradise Resort
The owners of Waihī Beach’s most luxurious accommodation option are as serious about sustainability as they are about great guest care. Find reusable shopping bags and loanable bikes, a solar-heated swimming pool and they have even sourced a low energy laundry service for guest linen. See: waihibeachparadiseresort.co.nz
Bowentown Beach Holiday Park
Undoubtedly, the biggest drawcard here is the location, with the surf beach in front and harbour out back. However, this holiday park also features lush landscaping – the owners have planted thousands of native trees since taking the reins four years ago – and sustainability ethos. The innovative owners reuse everything they can; even the room key tags are made using timber grown on site and plans are underway to convert a disused fridge into a communal fish smoker. Their Otawhiwhi Marae neighbours have helped translate park signage into te reo. See: bowentown.co.nz
It’s easy to walk between beach and village and a newly-designated cycle trail connects both ends the northern end of the beach to Anzac Bay, in the Bowentown area. Check out recently-installed bollards topped with QR codes that reveal the backstories behind historically significant spots along the way.
One of New Zealand’s prettiest coastal walks runs from the surf club end of the beach, over the hill to pretty Orakawa Bay and on to another pōhutukawa-fringed beauty spot, Homunga Bay. Neither bay has road access or development of any kind, both are perfect for picnicking.
At the southern end of the beach, find a range of shorter walking tracks to pristine Shelly Bay or take a track from the Te Ho pā site to Cave Bay, to explore the bay’s namesake rock rooms.
A flat, easy estuarine walk and cycle trail extends from Emerton Road and Bowentown.
Waihī Beach offers plenty of events throughout the year. These are some of the highlights for sustainably-minded visitors.
Anzac Bay Summer Festival
This new family-friendly event will kick off the summer season on November 19, 2022, with music, cultural storytelling and children’s workshops. It aims to be waste-free.
Waihī Beach Summer Fair
Find more than 200 stalls at the annual fair, which promises “delicious food and happy vibes”. And almost no waste. Event creator Kelly Moselen is a master at waste minimisation, despite bring more than 12,000 people together each year. See: weekendevents.co.nz
ECHO Walk Festival
A long-standing regional event that focusses on exploring on foot or by bike and includes a look at the beachside settlement’s mining history. ECHO – Enjoy Connecting Hills and Oceans – has a carbon-neutral goal. See: echowalkfest.org.nz
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