Discover Pauanui: Beach, Trails and Golf

Beach, trails and golf shape Pauanui: Pauanui Beach, the Pauanui Trig Track, the Tairua River Trail and the Lakes Resort Golf Course offer different starting points for planning your trip.

Beach and coastal trails

Pauanui Beach is one of the region’s longest and gentlest swimming beaches. When the wind is suitable, surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are possible there. You can walk around Pauanui via the ocean beach and estuary; the route is approximately 7 kilometres long. For planning purposes, these options differ: the watersports depend on suitable wind, while the walking loop is described by an approximate distance.

Trails on the Pauanui Trig Track

The Trig on the Pauanui Trig Track offers views of Pauanui. The shorter, steeper route leads from the car park to the Trig and takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes one way. This time refers to one way, not a return trip. An alternative route follows a gentle 400-metre path through coastal forests dominated by pōhutukawa and along occasional small beaches to Cave Bay. The routes can be compared by their different features: a walking time to the lookout is given for the shorter, steeper route, while the alternative is described by its course and destination.

Tairua River Trail and golf

The Tairua River Trail starts at the eastern end in Pauanui Waterways. The completed section is 6.4 kilometres long in total; the trail’s extent may change as the route is developed further. A shorter loop returns to Tangiteroria Lane via a route of about 1.2 kilometres. The loop is a separate return option and should not be confused with the total length of the completed section. There is also a small BMX practice track for children on the Tairua River Trail.

The Lakes Resort Golf Course in Pauanui offers 18 holes of championship golf. If you are considering Pauanui as a destination for a hotel stay, golf is another distinct focus to consider alongside the beach and trails.

Regional context: Thames-Coromandel District

In the wider Thames-Coromandel District, the Hauraki Rail Trail stretches for 160 kilometres and passes through the Thames-Coromandel, Hauraki and Matamata-Piako districts. A 34-kilometre section from Thames to Paeroa passes through lush farmland; distance information may be updated. The landscape of the Thames-Coromandel District is shaped by dramatic topography and coastline, native forests, and diverse coastal settlements.

The Thames School of Mines complex in Thames is part of the cultural context of the Thames-Coromandel District. It is nationally significant as a rare and well-preserved example of its kind. The site has spiritual, cultural and archaeological significance and is particularly important to Ngati Maru.

Discover more destinations: Hot Water Beach, Opoutere, Hikutaia, Cooks Beach, Thames, Matarangi, Whangamata, Hahei

For the wider travel overview: Thames-Coromandel District.