This is a pretty remote spot that can make you feel like you're the only person in the world. It is one of the few big wave spots in the north, and is suitable for those with a bit of experience.
The beach is long and sandy with a forest behind it, and it looks like one of those pictures you see in holiday magazines. It is public access and pretty quiet, it won’t be very often that you see any other surfers out. Water temperatures will be around 20° in summer and 15° C in winter.
The swell here starts working at less than 1 m and quickly builds up to over 4 m, and what's more it does it at all tide positions and on both rising and falling tides. It is a beach break, both right and left, and the waves are pretty good – they are hollow, fast, and powerful too. Length is typically short on most trouble to get much more than 50 m, but on the best days it can exceed 100 m and might even approach 150 m.
Fairly typically of New Zealand there are no facilities on the beach but for some this only adds to the attraction. You can camp here if you wish but make sure you bring everything you need with you as there are no towns close by.
Apart from the waves themselves, watch out for the submerged rocks which have some sharp edges and can give some nasty gashes if you hit them. Sharks have also been sighted here but as long as you don't do anything stupid to annoy them or attract them they shouldn't bother you.