Road trip to Tawharanui Mermaid Pools, New Zealand

Tawharanui Regional Park aka Tawharanui mermaid pools, is the perfect road trip destination! It doesn’t take long to drive here from Auckland, it boasts beautiful white sand, you can often get good surf here and the water is a gorgeous clear blue. There really isn’t anything not to love about Tawharanui Regional Park and it’s certainly worth considering making the drive the next time the sun is shining!

How to get to Tawharanui

It’s so easy to access the Tawharanui mermaid pools, located just over an hour’s drive north of Auckland. You can drive there and back the same day, or if you are feeling a bit tired there’s campground you can stay at.

The beach itself is stunning and well worth a visit. Tawharanui is more of a surf beach so make sure you take your surf board (or boogie board)! With the gorgeous white sand and warm water this is a road trip I highly recommend.

On the drive up from Auckland you will pass through Matakana Village. This is a great little town to stop at for a bite to eat and you will usually find all the locals at the Rusty Pelican, check out the menu here.

Where to stay in Tawharanui

If you think you want to spend more than a day here be sure to check out the Tawharanui camping ground. It’s a DOC (Department of conservation) camping ground which means it is super cheap. It also means it’s very basic, remember to pack a roll of toilet paper just in case…

You can make a booking by contacting the Auckland Regional Council. The summer season can be busy so make sure you book in advance!

What to do in Tawharanui

My favourite thing about Tawharanui is the mermaid pools! They’re a set of rock pools you can swim in at low tide, on a sunny day the water is crystal clear. You have to climb over a few rocks to get to these but I managed to do it (barefoot) no problem, so you’ll be fine.

Do be a bit careful if it’s high tide as the waves crash onto these rocks and it can be a bit dangerous.

Overall Tawharanui is an awesome road trip destination if you need a quick Auckland getaway!