Ohope Beach Overview

Ohope Beach is 11km of unbroken sand blessed with rolling blue waves and views of the rugged East Cape. Visitors come to marinate in the sun or to tramp around Mokorua, the hill between Ohope and Whakatane. A 2hr. journey by sand allows travelers to traverse the length of Ohope’s narrow strip of land, from the steep bluffs of Mokorua to the entrance of Ohiwa Harbour, a historically rich shellfishery. Ask at the information center about the 1hr. walk to the Tauwhare Pa. The main road, branching off at the end of the highway, is West End Rd., becoming Pohutukawa Rd. as you move east, and then turning into Harbour Rd. Information can be found at the Port Ohope General Store, 200m before the Port Ohope Wharf toward the east side of the beach; it doubles as the Ohope Information Centre. (☎312 4707. Open daily 7am-7:30pm.) A medical center and pharmacy sit on Pohutukawa Rd. at the center of the beach. Buses on the way to Opotiki arrive at the Mobil station on Pohutukawa Rd., 300m down from the West End Rd. turn-off (daily around 4pm; book in Whakatane). Although Let’s Go doesn’t recommend hitching, hitchhikers report that prospects are good. The Ohope Beach Holiday Park , 367 Harbour Rd., offers views, a pool, and mini-golf. (☎312 4460; www.ohopebeach.co.nz. Tent and powered sites $19-20. 4-person cabins from $115. Prices reduced in winter. MC/V.) For a quick bite, hit up Ohiwa Oyster Farm , just past town on SH2, toward Opotiki. (☎312 4565. Marinated mussels $5.80. Fish ’n oyster burger $7. Open daily 9am-7pm. Cash only.)