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Guide · New Zealand

Spearfishing in New Zealand

New Zealand is a spearo jackpot: a huge freediving culture built on crayfish and kingfish, gin-clear water in the north, and no saltwater fishing licence — anyone may spearfish the sea, subject to MPI's size, bag and gear rules. But the rules are regional, and there are hard lines: pāua are free-dive only (scuba is banned for pāua nationwide), crayfish (rock lobster) may be taken only by hand or a hand-held loop, and spearfishing is banned inside every marine reserve.

The common thread is reading the water and the current: the clearest, warmest water is in the north (Northland/Poor Knights, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty), cooling south to Wellington, the Marlborough Sounds and the cold crayfish coasts of Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Cook Strait and French Pass/Tory Channel run to 3–4 kn — dive the slack only. This guide walks the regions of both islands and links to a daily go / borderline / no-go forecast for every city.

Open the flagship — Auckland →

No licence, but real rules (MPI)

There's no recreational sea-fishing licence — but MPI's size, bag and gear rules apply, and they're regional. The key lines to know:

Currents, clarity and tidal races

The clearest, warmest water is in the north — Northland (Tutukaka/Poor Knights), the Bay of Islands, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty — cooling south to Wellington, the Marlborough Sounds and the cold crayfish coasts of Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Both coasts murk up near river mouths and after rain; the offshore islands and headlands clear first. The catch is current: Cook Strait runs to ~3 kn, and French Pass and Tory Channel to ~4 kn — slack-water only. Dive the sheltered side and time the slack.

No-take reserves and customary areas

New Zealand protects the sea two ways. DOC marine reserves (~44; e.g. Goat Island/Cape Rodney–Okakari — the country's first, Poor Knights, Kermadec, and the new Hauraki Gulf protections) are full no-take: no spearfishing, no fishing at all. Separately, the customary tools under the Fisheries Act — mātaitai and taiāpure (locally managed), temporary closures and rāhui; a rāhui after a drowning is a tapu and must be respected. Inside a reserve or a closure the card will never show green — check DOC and the MPI notices.

Species and trophies

The icons are the crayfish (kōura) and the yellowtail kingfish (haku), with snapper (tāmure) the everyday target in the north and blue cod (rāwaru) the staple of the cold south. Sizes and bag limits are regional (the table is a guide, not the law). The crayfish is the cultural prize — but only by hand or a hand-held loop, and never speared.

SpeciesWhere / status
Snapper (tāmure)north & central; ~30 cm; the everyday target
Kingfish (haku)nationwide reef & pinnacles; ~75 cm; the trophy pelagic
Blue cod (rāwaru)cold south (Marlborough/Otago/Southland); ~33 cm
Butterfish (marari)kelp reef; ~35 cm; a greenbone weed-grazer
Crayfish (kōura)nationwide; free-dive only, NOT speared, NOT on scuba

Seasonal calendar

The season runs on the austral summer and its shoulders — the water warms, fish move shallow, and viz peaks in the north from late summer into autumn. The cold south has a narrow window and needs the calms. Month by month (southern hemisphere):

PeriodConditions
Dec–Feb (summer)Prime north: warmest, clearest water (Northland/Coromandel/BoP), snapper & kingfish shallow, long daylight. South fishable in the calms.
Mar–May (autumn)Best viz in the north as swell drops; kingfish still about; crayfish good. The all-round window before the cold sets in.
Jun–Aug (winter)Cold and swelly; north still fishes on settled days, the south is for the hardy; big swell and rain plumes common.
Sep–Nov (spring)Warming and clearing; fish moving back onto the reefs; watch spring storms and river plumes after rain.

Safety

Never dive alone. Sharks: the real great-white risk is in the cold south — Stewart Island, Foveaux Strait, Otago and Fiordland (a spearfisherman was killed off Otago in 1968); the warm north is lower-risk. Current: Cook Strait, French Pass and Tory Channel run to 3–4 kn — dive the slack only. Cold: the south is genuinely cold year-round — wetsuit up. Whakaari/White Island is an active volcano — treat it as no-go. Mark yourself with a float, and always check DOC (reserves) and the MPI notices (rāhui/closures).

Where to dive, by region

Northland

Northland (Tutukaka/Poor Knights, Bay of Islands) — New Zealand's warmest, clearest water; note the Poor Knights are a strict no-take reserve.

  • Ahipara — The southern tip of Ninety Mile Beach on the Far North's Tasman (west) coast — Shipwreck Bay's reefs and the rocky Ahipara headland.
  • Mangōnui — A historic fishing village on sheltered Doubtless Bay in the Far North — low-pressure rocky coast for snapper, kingfish and crayfish, warmed and cleared by the East Auckland Current in summer.
  • Matauri Bay — Launch point for the Cavalli Islands and the world-famous Rainbow Warrior wreck (18–27 m).
  • Paihia (Bay of Islands) — The Bay of Islands hub — 144 sheltered islands, Cape Brett and the HMNZS Canterbury wreck at Deep Water Cove.
  • Russell — Across the water from Paihia in the sheltered Bay of Islands — calm, warm East-Auckland-Current water and easy reef diving for snapper and kingfish.
  • Whangārei — Northland's main city — the coord sits on the tidal Whangārei Harbour at Onerahi, gateway to the Tutukākā coast and the Poor Knights.
  • Tutukākā — New Zealand's premier dive hub and the launch for the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve (full no-take — look, don't take).
  • Ruakākā — Bream Bay's long surf beach south of Whangārei, off the Marsden Point entrance.
  • Mangawhai — A surf-and-estuary town on the Northland–Auckland boundary, Mangawhai Heads facing open E swell.
  • Aranga Beach — Aranga Beach is a hamlet on the Northland coast, and the beach of the same name lies about 0.6 km south-east.
  • Baylys Beach — Baylys Beach is a village of 309 people on the Northland coast; the beach of the same name starts under 1 km north-west.
  • Glinks Gully — Glinks Gully is a hamlet in Northland with a shore that faces south-west; wind from the south round to the north-west blows onto it, worst from the west.
  • Houhora — Houhora is a Northland hamlet on sheltered water: Houhora Harbour is about 1.3 km east, Jackson Point about 1.8 km north and Pukenui Wharf about 2.5 km south.
  • Kellys Bay — Kellys Bay is a Northland hamlet with 3 bays, 3 capes and 2 piers within 3 km: the bay of the same name about 0.3 km north-west, Island Point about 1.3 km north, Te Waro Point about 1.4 km south-east and Oneroa Bay about 1.9 km south-east.
  • Kerikeri Inlet — Kerikeri Inlet is a village on sheltered water in Northland.
  • Koutu — Te mataitai o Te Hikutu, a mātaitai (a customary fisheries area with its own local rules), lies about 1 km north-east of Koutu, a Northland hamlet on sheltered water.
  • Mahuta — Mahuta is a hamlet in Northland. Ripirō Beach is about 1.8 km south-east. No shore spot at the hamlet has passed our check yet. The shore faces south-west;…
  • Ōakura — Ōakura, a village on the Northland coast, has two closures nearby, both Rāhui Tapu — the Mimiwhangata Rāhui Tapu about 4 km south-east and the Rakaumangamanga Rāhui Tapu (Maunganui Bay to Oke Bay) about 20 km north-west — and inside both all fishing is prohibited; the one exception, under the Northland regional plan, is gathering kina (sea urchin) by hand, under the usual MPI rules and daily limit, and nothing but kina may be taken.
  • Omamari — Omamari is a hamlet on the Northland coast of New Zealand.
  • Ōmāpere — Ōmāpere is a village in Northland. Outer South Head is about 0.6 km south of its water, South Head about 1 km north-east, Northwest Reef about 1.4 km north…
  • Pataua South — Pataua South is a Northland village, and our map marks plenty around it: within 3 km there are five beaches, three headlands, two bays and a jetty.
  • Pouto — Pouto is a hamlet in New Zealand, with Pōuto Point about 0.1 km west.
  • Te Hāpua — Te Hāpua is a village in New Zealand; Pārengarenga Harbour lies about 1.2 km east, and Dog Island (Motuwhangaikirehe Island) about 2.4 km east.
  • Tokerau Beach — Tokerau Beach is a village in Northland.
  • Waipōua Settlement — Waipōua Settlement is a hamlet on the Northland coast.

Auckland & Hauraki Gulf

Auckland & the Hauraki Gulf (Waiheke, Great Barrier) — sheltered island channels; murky near the city, clearing offshore.

  • Leigh — The classic Hauraki-Gulf spearo hub ~90 km north of Auckland.
  • Auckland — New Zealand's biggest market, on the sheltered Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana.
  • Waiheke Island — An accessible Hauraki Gulf island 40 minutes from Auckland — Onetangi's long ocean beach plus sheltered bays and reefs with snapper, kingfish and crayfish.
  • Great Barrier Island — Remote Aotea, the outer wall of the Hauraki Gulf — Tryphena and the sheltered western bays, with clear ocean water and reefs on the exposed eastern side.
  • Ōrewa — Ōrewa faces east into the Hauraki Gulf, so wind and swell from the north-east round to the south-south-east close this water.
  • Beachlands — Schnapper Rock is listed among the main shore spots of Beachlands, together with Sunkist Bay and Shelly Beach.
  • Piha — Piha faces west, and swell from the south-south-west round to the north-north-west closes it.
  • Whangaparāoa — Whangaparāoa faces south across the Hauraki Gulf, and wind and swell from the east-south-east round to the south-west close it.
  • Snells Beach — Snells Beach looks out over Kawau Bay. The better rock nearby, at the south end of Martins Bay and at Mullet Point, lies inside the Kawau Bay High…
  • Clarks Beach — Clarks Beach is on the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour, and what locals describe here is line fishing and wading at low tide, not diving.
  • Muriwai — Muriwai sits on Auckland's west coast, where the town's surf beach ends at a rock platform in the south.
  • Campbells Beach — Campbells Beach is a village on the Hauraki Gulf coast, and its own water lies inside the Ōmaha Bay, Kawau Bay, and Whangaparāoa Peninsula Temporary Closure: until 11 March 2028 no seaweed or invertebrate may be taken there except kina, spiny rock lobster and scallop, and crayfish may never be speared.
  • Kawakawa Bay — Two protected areas lie within 25 km of Kawakawa Bay, a village in the Auckland and Hauraki Gulf region: Te Matuku Marine Reserve, about 8 km north-west, and the Pakatoa and Tarahiki / Shag Island High Protection Area, about 14 km north.
  • Mahurangi East — Mahurangi East is a village on the Hauraki Gulf side of the Auckland region, and a protected area starts close by: the Kawau Bay High Protection Area lies about 0.4 km north, and all fishing, spearfishing included, is prohibited inside it.
  • Mahurangi West — Mahurangi West, a village in the Auckland and Hauraki Gulf region, sits on a shore of bays and points: within 3 km there are 8 bays, 5 headlands and 2 beaches, with Sullivans Bay and Te Muri Beach each about 1 km away, north-west and south-west.
  • Makarau — Makarau is a hamlet in the Auckland region on sheltered, enclosed water.
  • Ōrere Point — Ōrere Point is a village in the Auckland and Hauraki Gulf region.
  • Ōrua Bay — Ōrua Bay is a village in the Auckland and Hauraki Gulf region, and the bay of the same name is about 0.3 km west of it.
  • Shelly Beach — Shelly Beach is a village in the Auckland region with a wharf, a second pier and a beach within 3 km; the Aotea / Shelly Beach shore is under 1 km south.
  • South Head — South Head is a hamlet in the Auckland and Hauraki Gulf region.
  • Waioneke — At Waioneke, a hamlet in the Auckland region, the shore faces north-east; wind from the north round to the south-east blows onto it, worst from the north-east.
  • Whatipu — Whatipu is a village in the Auckland region whose shore faces south: wind from the south-east round to the west blows onto it, worst from the south-west.
  • Orapiu — Orapiu's own water, on Waiheke Island, lies inside Te Matuku Marine Reserve, where all fishing is prohibited, spearfishing included.
  • Te Henga / Bethells Beach — On the Auckland & Hauraki Gulf coast of New Zealand, Te Henga / Bethells Beach looks west: the local shoreline measures 254°.

Coromandel

Coromandel (Whitianga, Tairua) — warm summers and islands off the east coast; clearest away from the river mouths.

  • Coromandel — On the sheltered Firth of Thames side of the Coromandel Peninsula — calm, protected water with mussel farms, reefs and snapper.
  • Whitianga — Mercury Bay on the Coromandel's east coast, launch for the Mercury Islands (Ōhinau, Cuvier) and Te Whanganui-A-Hei.
  • Tairua — An east-Coromandel surf town below Paku, with reefs toward Shoe and Slipper Islands.
  • Whangamatā — Southern Coromandel surf-and-dive town, launch for the Aldermen (Ruamāhua) Islands — deep, clear water and big kingfish offshore.
  • Thames — Thames sits at the southern head of the Firth of Thames.
  • Kaiaua — Kaiaua is a New Zealand village of about 430 people.
  • Kūaotunu — Kūaotunu is a village on the Coromandel, with Kūaotunu Beach under 1 km west and Otama Beach about 2 km north-east.
  • Matarangi — Matarangi is a village of 420 people on the Coromandel.
  • Pūkorokoro / Miranda — Pūkorokoro / Miranda is a hamlet in the Coromandel region.
  • Waitakaruru — The shore at Waitakaruru, a hamlet in New Zealand's Coromandel region, faces north; wind from the north-west round to the east blows onto it, worst from the north.
  • Ngārimu Bay — Ngārimu Bay is a town on the Coromandel coast of New Zealand; its shoreline faces west, at 283°.

Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Whakatane) — warm water and volcanic islands; best clarity on the offshore reefs.

  • Tauranga / Mount Maunganui — The Bay of Plenty's hub — the ocean beach under Mauao (Mount Maunganui) plus the harbour and Mayor Island (Tūhua) offshore.
  • Ōhope — A long north-facing ocean beach beside Whakatāne, with reefs at each end.
  • Whakatāne — Eastern Bay of Plenty river town and launch for offshore reefs and Whakaari/White Island (active volcano — no-go, GeoNet status).
  • Waihī Beach — Waihī Beach faces north-east onto the Bay of Plenty, and wind and swell from the north round to the south-east close it.
  • Maketu — The Maketu marks lie inside the Maketu Taiāpure, a customary fishing area.
  • Ōmokoroa — Ōmokoroa is on the inner Tauranga Harbour, a place of channels, sand bars and tidal flats.
  • Ōpōtiki — Ōpōtiki faces the Bay of Plenty over sand.
  • Te Puna — Te Puna lies on the estuary shore of Tauranga Harbour, about 9 km from our Tauranga page.
  • Kauri Point — Kauri Point is a Bay of Plenty village, and a point of the same name lies about 0.2 km to its south; Ōngare Point is about 2 km north-west, and our map counts two capes and a pier within 3 km.
  • Omaio — Omaio is a hamlet on the Bay of Plenty coast.
  • Tanners Point — Tanners Point is a village in the Bay of Plenty, with the point of the same name about 0.3 km north.
  • Te Kaha — About 10 km south-west of Te Kaha, the waters near the Motu River are closed to spearfishing from 1 December to 31 March, and outside those dates the ban does not apply; it is the only drawn zone within 25 km of this Bay of Plenty village.
  • Te Kopua — Te Kopua is a hamlet on the Bay of Plenty coast, between Ohinemango Point about 1 km south and Waikawa Point about 1 km north, with Motukotare Island about 1 km north as well.
  • Waihau Bay — Waihau Bay is a hamlet in the Bay of Plenty region, and the bay of the same name lies about 0.5 km south-east; Ōrete Point is about 0.9 km north and Taratuia Point about 1.5 km south-west.
  • Athenree — On the Bay of Plenty coast of New Zealand, Athenree looks east: the local shoreline measures 74°.

East Cape / Gisborne

East Cape · Gisborne — an exposed east coast with warm water; a window on a westerly between swells.

  • Gisborne — The East Cape city on Poverty Bay — exposed, swell-rich coast facing the first light of day.
  • Hicks Bay — Hicks Bay is a village of about 160 people on the East Cape, beside sheltered water: Onepoto Bay is about 0.8 km south-east, the bay called Wharekahika / Hicks Bay about 1.3 km north-east and the wharf about 2.2 km north.
  • Horoera — Horoera is a hamlet on the East Cape coast, and no shore spot at the hamlet has passed our check yet.
  • Pōtaka — Pōtaka is an East Cape hamlet whose shore faces north: wind from the north-west round to the east blows onto it, worst from the north-east.
  • Rangitukia — Rangitukia is a hamlet on the East Cape coast of the Gisborne region.
  • Te Araroa — At Te Araroa, a village on the East Cape coast, Kawakawa Bay is about 2 km north-west and Te Hēkawa Point about 2 km east.
  • Tokomaru Bay — Tokomaru Bay is a village in the Gisborne and East Cape region.
  • Tolaga Bay — Two temporary closures lie north of Tolaga Bay: Motuoroi, about 13 km away, and Tangoiro Waihirere, about 19 km away.
  • Tūpāroa — Tūpāroa is a hamlet on the East Cape coast, between Koutuamoa Point about 2 km north and Kaimoho Point about 2.5 km south.
  • Waipiro Bay — Waipiro Bay is a hamlet on the East Cape coast of New Zealand.
  • Whareponga — The coast at Whareponga, a hamlet on the East Cape, faces south-east; wind from the east round to the south blows onto it, worst from the south-east.

Hawke's Bay

Hawke's Bay (Napier) — an open shingle coast; water clears on the reefs and points in the calm.

  • Napier — Hawke's Bay's Marine Parade city, with reef diving toward Cape Kidnappers and the Te Angiangi Marine Reserve down the coast (no-take).
  • Wairoa — Wairoa's coast is a river mouth and an open beach of sand and gravel.
  • Clive — Clive sits on a gravel beach between two estuaries on Hawke Bay, and the nearest rocky ground, around Te Awanga and Clifton, is 9 to 12 km away.
  • Blackhead — Blackhead is a hamlet in Hawke's Bay whose own water lies inside Te Angiangi Marine Reserve: under the Marine Reserves Act 1971 all fishing is prohibited there, spearfishing included.
  • Herbertville — Herbertville is a hamlet on the Hawke's Bay coast.
  • Māhanga Beach — At Māhanga Beach, a hamlet in New Zealand, no shore spot has passed our check yet.
  • Māhia — Māhia is a hamlet in the Hawke's Bay region, and its own water belongs to the Horokaka mātaitai reserve, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules; that is not a ban in itself.
  • Māhia Beach — Māhia Beach lies inside Te Hoe, a mātaitai reserve: a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Mangakuri Beach — Mangakuri Beach is a hamlet in Hawke's Bay, and Mangakurī Beach lies under 1 km to the south of it.
  • Mōhaka — Mōhaka is a hamlet on the Hawke's Bay coast.
  • Nūhaka — Nūhaka is a village in Hawke's Bay. No shore spot at the village has passed our check yet, and our map names no beach, point or bay near it. The shore faces…
  • Pourērere — About 5 km south of Pourērere, a hamlet on the Hawke's Bay coast, lies the Te Angiangi Marine Reserve, where all fishing, spearfishing included, is prohibited.
  • Te Paerahi — The water at Te Paerahi lies inside the Pōrangahau Taiāpure, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules, which apply on top of the national ones.
  • Waihua — Waihua is a small Hawke's Bay hamlet about 13 km from Wairoa, which lies to the east.
  • Waimārama — Waimārama, a village of about 216 people in Hawke's Bay, lies inside the Waimārama temporary closure: until 22 December 2026 no one may take blackfoot pāua there (Fisheries New Zealand, MPI).
  • Whakakī — Whakakī is a hamlet in Hawke's Bay with no verified shore spots yet.

Taranaki & Western NI

Taranaki & the western North Island (New Plymouth, Raglan) — black-sand reef, driven by the western swell; short windows.

  • Raglan — The Waikato west coast's famous surf town on Whāingaroa Harbour — powerful west swell and greener, cooler water than the east coast.
  • New Plymouth — Taranaki's city under the maunga — a reef-rich but swell-exposed west coast with cooler, sometimes upwelled and greener water.
  • Ōpunake — Ōpunake faces south-west, and swell from the south-south-east round to the west-north-west closes it.
  • Pātea — Pātea's shore is a river mouth between breakwaters, with sand either side.
  • Awakino — Awakino is a hamlet of about 50 people on the western side of the North Island.
  • Kāwhia — The water at Kāwhia lies inside the Kāwhia Aotea Taiāpure, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules, so those come before anything else.
  • Kinohaku — Kinohaku is a hamlet whose water lies inside the Kāwhia Aotea Taiāpure, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Manutahi — Manutahi is a hamlet about 3 km from the sea.
  • Marokopa — The water at Marokopa, a hamlet on the western North Island coast, lies inside the Marokopa mātaitai reserve: a customary fisheries area with its own local rules, which is not a ban on its own.
  • Mōkau — About 17 km south-west of Mōkau, a village in the Taranaki and western North Island region, lies Parininihi Marine Reserve, where all fishing is prohibited, spearfishing included.
  • Ohawe — Ohawe is a village on the Taranaki and western North Island coast, and Ōhawe Beach is about 0.4 km north-west of it.
  • Pihama — The nearest drawn areas to Pihama are submarine cable protection areas: Area 8 Oaonui, about 14 km north-west, and the Kupe gas project area, about 22 km east.
  • Port Waikato — Sunset Beach is about 2.3 km north of Port Waikato and Maraetai Bay about 2.8 km north-east.
  • Pukearuhe — Parininihi Marine Reserve begins about 0.7 km north of Pukearuhe, a hamlet in New Zealand; in a marine reserve all fishing is prohibited, spearfishing included.
  • Tongapōrutu — About 6 km south-west of Tongapōrutu begins Parininihi Marine Reserve, where all fishing is prohibited, spearfishing included.
  • Waiinu Beach — The nearest area drawn on our map near Waiinu Beach is not a fishing ban for the shore: the Kupe Gas Project submarine cable protection area, about 53 km west, prohibits fishing from a vessel and anchoring, and applies to boats only.
  • Waipipi Beach — Waipipi Beach is a hamlet on the western North Island coast, with a single pier marked within 3 km.

Wellington & Cook Strait

Wellington & Cook Strait (Kapiti) — cold, clear water but wind and current; dive the slack and the sheltered side.

  • Wellington — The capital's south coast — Island Bay and the Taputeranga Marine Reserve (no-take), cool-temperate water with butterfish, blue moki and crayfish.
  • Kāpiti — The Kāpiti Coast facing the Tasman across to Kāpiti Island, whose marine reserve (no-take) protects the core — dive outside it.
  • Lower Hutt — Lower Hutt's diving is on the Eastbourne side of Wellington Harbour, at Days Bay and at Point Brown in Rona Bay.
  • Foxton Beach — Foxton Beach sits at the Manawatū River mouth, with Ramsar-listed estuary mudflats on one side and a straight surf beach on the other.
  • Ākitio — Ākitio, a hamlet of about 111 people, sits on an open shore that faces south-east; wind from the north-east round to the south blows onto it, worst from the south-east.
  • Castlepoint — Around Castlepoint, a village in the Wellington region, the named shore is close: the cape of the same name about 0.2 km north, The Bay about 0.7 km north-west, Deliverance Cove about 0.8 km south-west, Castlepoint Beach about 1 km north-west and Matira / Castle Rock about 1.5 km south-west.
  • Flat Point — Flat Point is a hamlet on the coast of the Wellington region, with the point of the same name about 1 km north-east; within 3 km there are a beach and a cape.
  • Glenburn — Glenburn is a hamlet in the Wellington region.
  • Hīmatangi Beach — Hīmatangi Beach is a village in the Wellington and Cook Strait region.
  • Kai Iwi Beach — No shore spot at Kai Iwi Beach, a village in the Wellington and Cook Strait region of our map, has passed our check yet.
  • Koitiata — Koitiata is a small village on an open shore in the Wellington and Cook Strait region.
  • Mataikona — Mataikona is a small hamlet on the open coast of the Wellington region, and the only named feature near it is the rock Te Rerenga o Te Aohuruhuru, about 3 km south.
  • Ngāwī — Ngāwī is a hamlet of 20 people on the Wellington and Cook Strait coast.
  • Pāhaoa — Pāhaoa is a hamlet in the Wellington region.
  • Riversdale Beach — Riversdale Beach is a village in the Wellington and Cook Strait region; the beach of the same name lies about 0.4 km south, and within 3 km our map counts four beaches.
  • Tangimoana — Tangimoana is a village in New Zealand whose shore faces west; wind from the south round to the north-west blows onto it, worst from the west.
  • Waimoana — Waimoana is a hamlet in the Wellington and Cook Strait region, and our map finds a single beach within 3 km of it.
  • Waitārere Beach — Waitārere Beach is a village on the Wellington and Cook Strait coast, with one beach within 3 km.

Nelson & Marlborough Sounds

Nelson & the Marlborough Sounds (Picton, Havelock) — sheltered channels; dive the slack at French Pass, clearer water toward the mouth.

  • Nelson — Top of the South, on sheltered Tasman Bay and the gateway to Abel Tasman and D'Urville Island.
  • Motueka — A Tasman Bay town at the Motueka River delta, sheltered and shallow with soft, turbid inner-bay water — clearer toward Abel Tasman and Kaiteriteri.
  • Picton — Gateway to the Marlborough Sounds and Queen Charlotte Sound — very sheltered, drowned-valley diving with blue cod and butterfish, plus the MS Mikhail Lermontov wreck in Port Gore.
  • Havelock — At the head of Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere and the launch for D'Urville Island and French Pass.
  • Māpua — Māpua is an estuary town on the Waimea Inlet and the Māpua Channel: current, tidal flats and poor visibility, with no reef.
  • Anatori — The water at Anatori lies inside the Te Tai Tapu (Anatori) mātaitai, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Collingwood — Collingwood is a village in the Nelson and Marlborough region, with Ruataniwha Inlet about 1 km north-west.
  • French Pass / Anaru — The French Pass / Anaru page now has one shore spot: Te Kawau a Toru, a bare rock on a charted reef off Reef Point, about 1 km north-west of the hamlet.
  • Ligar Bay — Tides are big at Ligar Bay: the day's range is usually about 2.6 m and reaches 3.7 m.
  • Pākawau — Pākawau is a hamlet in the Nelson and Marlborough region; Tomatea Point is about 0.5 km north, Pākawau Inlet about 1.4 km north-west and Taimatea Point about 2.3 km south.
  • Parapara — Parapara is a village in the Nelson and Marlborough region.
  • Patons Rock — Patons Rock, a hamlet in the Nelson and Marlborough region, has a big tide: usually about 2.6 m a day and up to 3.7 m.
  • Rārangi — Rārangi is a village in Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds, with 2 bays and 2 beaches within 3 km; Te Ana-o-Rongomaipapa Bay is about 0.9 km north and Pukatea / Whites Bay about 1.4 km north-east.
  • Wharanui — Wharanui is a hamlet in the Nelson and Marlborough region.

Canterbury & Banks Peninsula

Canterbury & Banks Peninsula (Kaikoura, Akaroa) — cold, rich water and crayfish; best in the peninsula's sheltered bays.

  • Kaikōura — The crayfish icon on its peninsula, above a deep offshore canyon and a whale sanctuary.
  • Christchurch (Sumner) — The city's coast at Sumner and Taylors Mistake on Pegasus Bay — cool, often swell-exposed water and rocky headlands with butterfish, blue cod and crayfish.
  • Akaroa — A drowned volcanic harbour on Banks Peninsula — sheltered inner water plus the Pōhatu (Flea Bay) Marine Reserve (no-take) on the outer coast.
  • Timaru — South Canterbury's port town on an east-facing coast with almost no natural shelter: Caroline Bay only exists because the moles were built.
  • Birdlings Flat — Birdlings Flat, a village on the Canterbury coast, sits inside Te Kaio Mātaitai, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules, and Wairewa/Lake Forsyth Mātaitai lies under 1 km north-east.
  • Gore Bay — Gore Bay is a village on the Canterbury coast, set on the bay of the same name (Pariroa), about 0.5 km south, with Gore Bay Beach about 0.6 km north-east.
  • Hakatere — Hakatere is a hamlet on the Canterbury coast.
  • Hurunui Mouth — The shore at Hurunui Mouth, a Canterbury hamlet, faces south-east, and wind from the east round to the south blows straight onto it, worst from the south-east.
  • Kekerengu — Kekerengu is a hamlet on the coast of the Canterbury region, and Kekerengu Point is only about 0.2 km south-west of its water.
  • Leithfield — Leithfield, a village of about 981 people in Canterbury, has an open shore facing south-east; wind from the north-east round to the south blows onto it, worst from the south-east.
  • Motunau Beach — Motunau Island lies about 1.5 km south-east of Motunau Beach, a village on the Canterbury coast.
  • Parikawa — Parikawa is a coastal hamlet in the Canterbury region of New Zealand.
  • South Rakaia Huts — South Rakaia Huts is a hamlet on the Canterbury coast.

Otago

Otago (Dunedin, Oamaru) — cold southern water and bull kelp; a narrow window, for the experienced in the calms.

  • Dunedin (St Clair) — Otago's city coast at St Clair and Aramoana, and the Otago Peninsula — cold, swell-exposed water with bull kelp, blue cod, butterfish and crayfish.
  • Ōamaru — A North Otago harbour town with rocky reefs, penguin colonies and cold, clear water — blue cod, butterfish and crayfish.
  • Waikouaiti — The Waikouaiti marks are at Karitāne, around the Huriawa peninsula, which runs about 1 km east from the mainland.
  • Hampden — Hampden lies on the North Otago coast, with Kātiki Point about 9 km to the south and Shag Point about 16 km south.
  • Kākā Point — Kākā Point is an Otago village whose shore faces east: wind from the north-east round to the south blows onto it, worst from the east.
  • Papatowai — Papatowai, an Otago hamlet, has 3 headlands, 2 bays and 2 beaches within 3 km: Picnic Point is about 0.6 km south, Mahaka Point about 1.5 km south, Tahakopa Bay about 2 km east and Oyster Bay about 2.3 km south-west.
  • Pounawea — Pounawea is a village in New Zealand close to Catlins Heads, about 0.3 km north-east.
  • Toko Mouth — Toko Mouth is a hamlet on the Otago coast.
  • Aramoana — Aramoana is a village in Otago with 7 beaches and 7 headlands within 3 km, among them Spit Beach about 0.6 km north-west and Taiaroa Head about 1.6 km east.
  • Pūrākaunui — Pūrākaunui is a village of 210 people in Otago, and the East Otago Taiāpure, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules, begins under 1 km north-west; inside it the blue cod limit is 2 a day and paua may not be taken.
  • Karitāne — Karitāne is a town on the Otago coast of New Zealand; its shoreline faces south-east, at 114°.
  • Shag Point — On the Otago coast of New Zealand, Shag Point looks north-east: the local shoreline measures 58°.

Southland & Foveaux

Southland & Foveaux Strait (Bluff, Stewart Island) — cold, rough water, oysters and pāua; rare windows, harsh conditions.

  • Bluff — New Zealand's deep-south port on Foveaux Strait — famed for oysters and pāua, cold-temperate water year-round and strong strait currents.
  • Riverton — Aparima/Riverton on the western Southland coast, partly sheltered behind Riverton Rocks — cold, kelp-rich water with pāua, blue cod and butterfish.
  • Stewart Island (Oban) — Rakiura — remote, clear, cold water off Oban/Halfmoon Bay, superb pāua and blue cod.
  • Curio Bay — Curio Bay's water lies inside the Waikawa Harbour/Tumu Toka mātaitai, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Niagara — Niagara is a hamlet in Southland on sheltered water, and that water lies inside the Waikawa Harbour/Tumu Toka mātaitai, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Otara — Otara is a Southland hamlet, and Waipapa Point, about 3 km west, is the nearest named cape; within 3 km our map counts two capes and a beach.
  • Slope Point — Slope Point is a hamlet on the southern coast of the South Island, beside the headland Waipapa / Slope Point, about 0.1 km north-west.

West Coast (South Island)

West Coast of the South Island (Greymouth) — an open coast under Tasman-Sea swell; murkier water, rare windows.

  • Greymouth — The West Coast's main town at the Grey River mouth — big Tasman swell, cool upwelled water and river-plume turbidity.
  • Westport — Westport's diving is out at Cape Foulwind, on a coast exposed to the westerlies where diveable days are not common and visibility can be very poor.
  • Bruce Bay — About 0.1 km south-west of Bruce Bay begins the Mahitahi/Bruce Bay mātaitai reserve, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules; it is not marked as a ban, so the question is what those rules allow.
  • Charleston — Charleston is a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island with three bays close by: Doctor Bay, Constant Bay and Joyce Bay all lie under 1 km away, to the south, east and north-east.
  • Granity — Granity is a village of about 170 people on the West Coast of the South Island.
  • Haast Beach — Haast Beach is a hamlet in New Zealand with an open shore facing north-west; wind from the west round to the north-east blows onto it, worst from the north.
  • Hannahs Clearing — Hannahs Clearing is a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island, and no shore spot here has passed our check yet.
  • Jackson Bay — Jackson Bay, a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island, has its water inside the Okāhu mātaitai, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules; under the MPI rules for the region the combined finfish limit inside it is 10 per fisher per day, not the usual 20.
  • Jacobs River — Jacobs River, a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island, sits inside the Manakaiaua/Hunts Beach mātaitai reserve: a customary fisheries area with its own local rules, which apply here.
  • Kakapotahi — Kakapotahi is a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island; the sea is about 3 km from the houses, and our map counts 3 beaches within 3 km of that shore.
  • Karamea — About 400 people live in Karamea, a village on the open West Coast of the South Island.
  • Little Wanganui / Whanganui — Little Wanganui / Whanganui is a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island, with Little Wanganui Head about 2 km south-west.
  • Mokihinui — No shore spot here has passed our check.
  • Ōkārito — The water at Ōkārito lies inside the Ōkārito Lagoon mātaitai, a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Ross — Ross is a village on the West Coast of the South Island, and its water lies inside the Mikonui Mātaitai Reserve, declared in 2023: a customary fisheries area with its own local rules.
  • Ruatapu — Ruatapu is a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island.
  • Waiatoto — Waiatoto is a hamlet on the West Coast of the South Island, with a shore that faces north-west: wind from the west round to the north-east blows onto it, worst from the north.
  • Waimangaroa — Waimangaroa is a village of about 231 people on the West Coast of the South Island.
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Frequently asked questions

Rules current as of 2026 — always confirm with Fisheries New Zealand (MPI) before you go. No licence is needed for recreational spearfishing, but daily bag + minimum-size limits apply and differ by fisheries area. Total no-take marine reserves (e.g. Goat Island/Cape Rodney-Okakari, Poor Knights, Kermadec) are strictly off-limits. Some species are protected.

Do I need a licence?

No — there's no recreational sea-fishing licence in New Zealand. But MPI's size, bag and gear rules apply, and they're regional (combined finfish daily limit 20 or 30 depending on the MPI area, 10 inside the Akaroa Taiāpure and the Lyttelton/Whakaraupō mātaitai, inside the Paringa, Popotai Taumaka/Open Bay Islands, Okahu/Jacksons Bay and Tauneke/Barn Bay mātaitai (Challenger), and inside the Fiords of Fiordland; local notices override stricter). Freshwater trout/salmon may not be speared.

Official source ↗
Can I take pāua on scuba?

No. Pāua are free-dive only; you can't have underwater breathing apparatus while taking pāua, nationwide. Crayfish (rock lobster) are different: MPI's rules set no scuba ban for them, but they may only be taken by hand or a hand-held loop — never speared. Both are subject to size and bag limits.

Official source ↗
What are rāhui, mātaitai and taiāpure?

They're customary fisheries-management tools. Mātaitai and taiāpure are locally managed areas; temporary closures and rāhui can close a stretch. A rāhui is often placed after a drowning — it's a tapu (a cultural/sacred closure), not just a fishing rule: respect it and don't dive there.

Official source ↗
Where is hunting fully banned?

In all DOC marine reserves (~44 nationwide) — spearfishing and all fishing are banned there: Goat Island/Cape Rodney–Okakari, Poor Knights, Kermadec, the new Hauraki Gulf protections, and more. Plus customary-area closures. Check DOC and NABIS.

Official source ↗
Where's the clear water, and when's the season?

The clearest, warmest water is in the north (Northland/Poor Knights, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty). The best season is the austral summer (Dec–Feb) and autumn (Mar–May): the water warms, fish move shallow, swell drops. The cold south has a narrow window and needs the calms. Pick the day by the city forecast.

How dangerous are the sharks?

The great white concentrates in the cold southern waters — Stewart Island, Foveaux Strait, the Otago Peninsula and Fiordland (a spearfisherman was killed off Otago in 1968). The warm north is markedly lower-risk. As always: don't dive alone or trail a bleeding fish on you.

Official source ↗
Is the current dangerous?

In the straits — yes. Cook Strait runs to ~3 kn, and French Pass and Tory Channel to ~4 kn (2 m/s): dive only in the slack window, outside it you're swept. On exposed coasts mind the surf and swell. Always with a buddy and a float.

Official source ↗