Oceania's Top 50+ Beaches
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Cathedral Cove // New Zealand
© muha04 Cathedral Cove is considered by many to be the gem of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is quite an accolade given the stunning landscapes here. Set amongst the lush rolling landscape of the Coromandel Cathedral Cove is a small sandy beach backed by cliffs of white volcanic rock. At one end of the beach stands a towering sea stack of the… read more »
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Hungry Beach // Australia
Hungry Beach gets its memorable name from a fisherman who took shelter in the cove for three days while waiting for a large shark to leave the area. I guess his overwhelming thought was hunger, hence the name. The area was historically known as a prolific fishing area for shark, turtle and mulloway.
Hungry Beach is on the north side of… read more »
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Hot Water Beach // New Zealand
Carsten Arsten Not your run-of-the-mill beach by any means, Hot Water Beach gets its name, not from the waters of the Pacific Ocean it meets, but from two underground naturally heated springs that well up through the soft sand two hours either side of low tide.
Rent a spade from the onsite café and prepare your very own private spa, relaxing in mineral… read more »
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Wineglass Bay // Australia
© Pawel Papis / 123RF This remote gem of a beach is situated in the stunning scenery of the Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania. A near perfect semi-circle of pure white sand fringed by turquoise waters, Wineglass Bay is surrounded by heavily forested peaks making a spectacular natural ampitheatre.
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Kāʻanapali Beach // USA
© Rob Newton If you are a beach connoisseur, then Kāʻanapali Beach on Maui's west coast is definitely one for your bucket list. Dubbed "Black Rock" Beach locally, this stunning three mile stretch of golden-white sand and alluring, azure water is within walking distance of several large resorts, tempting restaurants and many other local attractions.
No surprise then that this beautiful Hawaiian… read more »
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Malabar Beach // Australia
© Adam.J.W.C. / CC BY Malabar Beach is one of the less well-known beaches in the south of Sydney, not far from the airport. The name comes from one of two shipwrecks that lie in the bay: the MV Malabar, with the other being the the Goolwa.
Facing southeast, Malabar Beach is enclosed by rocky headlands at either end with cliffs providing shelter from offshore winds.… read more »
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Dreamtime Beach // Australia
© Daniel Pink / CC BY Sitting to the south of the little headland of Fingal Head, near the NSW/Queensland border, is the beautiful 5km stretch of golden sand known as Dreamtime Beach. The beach here is a different world to the busier, more developed Fingal beach on the other side of the scrubby headland with Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast beyond.
The beach's name harks… read more »
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Palm Beach // Australia
© Alex Proimos / CC BY Palm beach sits on a narrow spit of land at the far end of Sydney's North Shore, roughly 40km from the city centre. The beach is overlooked by the imposing bulk of Barrenjoey Head to the north. It's well worth a climb to check out the lighthouse and take in the fantasic views back over the sands and beyond.
"Palmy", as the… read more »
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Koekohe Beach // New Zealand
The long sandy beach at Koekohe is famous for one thing - the Moeraki Boulders. These particularly large spherical boulders are technically known as septarian concretions. Some of the rocks measure nearly 3 metres across and most have a cracks in their surfaces making them appear like some sort of giant dinosaur eggs. The fact that they are hollow
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Allans Beach // New Zealand
© Tomas Sobek / CC BY Allans Beach is set among the lush rolling hills of the on the Otago Peninsula, on New Zealand's South Island. It consists of a kilometre long spit of fine white sand which separates the shallow waters of Hoopers Inlet from the Pacific Ocean.
The beach here is something of a haven for wildlife; at the northern end there is a… read more »
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Margaret River // Australia
© Chris Putnam / 123RF The beaches of Margaret River in Western Australia are not only beautiful but also home to some of Australia's biggest and best surf. Margaret River is not just one beach but a stretch of coast bursting with fantastic beaches. Whilst the backdrop varies from beach to beach you'll find white sand and turquoise waters the length of this coastline. As… read more »
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Fraser Island // Australia
Situated just of the Queensland coast Fraser Island is considered the largest sand island in the world. Stretching around 120 km in length there is an awful lot of beach here, and very few people. In fact there is actually even more beach; Fraser island is dotted with large freshwater lakes all of which are fringed by the same beautiful… read more »
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Takapuna Beach // New Zealand
© Adam & Tess / CC BY Takapuna is sometimes referred to as the unofficial 'capital' of Auckland's North Shore - a series of coastal suburbs across Shoal Bay from the city centre. The Takapuna Beach area is the centre of the North Shore's nightlife, being home to many bars, restaurants, cafes and shops. It is also the main shopping centre of the North Shore.
The beach… read more »
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Oke Bay // New Zealand
© YHA-New-Zealand / CC BY Oke Bay is located near the village of Rawhiti in the Bay of Islands in the very North of New Zealand. This subtropical region consists of nearly 150 islands between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula and is a water-lover's paradise. Known as a destination for whale and dolphin spotting, sailing and fishing the Bay of Islands area is home… read more »
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Bronte Beach // Australia
© eyeintim / CC BY Bronte beach is situated in Sydney's eastern suburbs between Bondi and Coogee beaches. From either of beach it is an easy walk of about 2km along the paved clifftop path. However, if you fancy a swim there is an anual swim held every December between Bondi and Bronte.
For those who feel they aren't quite ready to take on the open… read more »
