NZ’s Best Beach 2026: Bret McKenzie, Dai Henwood, Hilary Barry and more share their favourites

The Herald’s annual search for New Zealand’s Best Beach is now open. To inspire your nominations, we asked some well-known New Zealanders to share their favourites. Do you agree with their picks? Scroll to the bottom of this page to submit your nominations in each of our five categories.

Bret McKenzie

I really like Wharariki beach on the top of the South Island. It’s not a swimming beach, but it’s so dramatic and beautiful. And you walk there over these dunes and you come out, and it feels like a dinosaur could come around the corner. I’ve got really fond memories of the top of the South Island – like lots of summers there. Living in Wellington, it kind of feels like that is the Coromandel of Wellington in a way. I’ve spent a lot of time there with friends, a few times out to Wharariki, and it was always just such a great memory.

Bret McKenzie’s album Freak Out City is out now.

Dai Henwood at Piha Beach.

Dai Henwood

I always say Piha because that’s my sort of spiritual home. Since I’ve been born, I’ve always been going there for a month a year, even though I was from Wellington. There’s something so energetic about it, that’s where I go and do chemo, even.

I learned to swim there. My kids learned to swim there. I think it’s so important learning to swim to begin with and being blessed with Piha as the place [to learn]; you learn the ultimate respect for Mother Nature and the respect for the water. Now, when I go to a flat beach, it’s just like, ‘oh, fill your boots’.

Dai Henwood will host the 2026 Best Foods Comedy Gala in May.

Hilary Barry

Sandy Bay, in Northland, is my favourite. It’s a gorgeous, gorgeous part of New Zealand. I love it.

Hilary Barry hosts Seven Sharp, which will return to TVNZ1 this month.

Clint Roberts

My favourite beach out of all the beaches in New Zealand is Whangamatā. You can’t beat the Coromandel in summertime. But, we have family in Whangamatā, so we can just show up, drop our bags and go straight over to the beach. So, we’re very lucky like that. I also love Whangamatā because it’s got everything there. Like it’s got a supermarket, it’s got pubs, it’s got playgrounds for the kids. It’s got two golf courses. So, it’s kind of like a beach paradise.

I’ve got little girls and so beach memories make themselves every summer for us. The most recent one would be the girls working up the courage to jump off the wharf into the water. You go from the first summer of them looking at it and going, “I’ll never do that”. And then the following summer them going, “oh, maybe I want to jump off the wharf”. And then last summer, they jumped off, but they needed me in the water. So, hopefully, this summer they can just jump off and off and I can just sit on the beach and watch.

Clint Roberts is the co-host of ZM afternoon show Bree & Clint

Black Foil Liv Mackay at Waipatiki in Hawke's Bay.

Liv Mackay

Waipātiki in Hawke’s Bay is my favourite because it was the closest beach to our farm growing up and I have a lot of good memories there.

I have a real mix of good memories from beaches around NZ. We spent a lot of time at Lake Taupō growing up, which is great for kids and a more relaxed environment around water. My teenage years were in Coromandel with friends and then, of course, sailing has given me so many memories with NZ beaches – from great stories of trying to launch boats in surf to memories at regattas with hundreds of boats waiting to get on the water. There are still so many good beaches that I want to explore.

Liv Mackay will be sailing with the Black Foils in the ITM SailGP New Zealand in Auckland from February 14-15

Bree Tomasel

My favourite beach in New Zealand, no question about it, is Hāhei Beach in the Coromandel. If you’ve never been, what the hell are you bloody doing? It’s a tiny little beach town, but it’s got everything you could possibly need. It’s got your little corner store, the beach, it’s got a great campground that has great vibes in the summertime. My partner’s family has a bach there, so we’re very lucky, we get to spend a lot of time in Hāhei Beach. Some big memories have been built there actually, and more to come hopefully, but one of the biggest ones was my brother got engaged to his partner at Hāhei Beach. So, every time I’m there, I always think about that. It’s such an amazing memory and I was so glad that he invited us to be a part of it.

Bree Tomasel is the co-host of ZM afternoon show Bree & Clint

Brokenwood Mysteries star Fern Sutherland loves Taranaki's Back Beach.

Fern Sutherland

Back Beach, Taranaki, is my favourite beach. It’s an incredibly scenic black beach at the bottom of enormous volcanic ash and sedimentary rock cliffs. Access is gained via falling/flailing down a large, steep sand dune at your own risk! Sunset panoramas for days.

Fern Sutherland stars in The Brokenwood Mysteries. Seasons 9-11 streaming on TVNZ+

Matty McLean

My favourite beach in New Zealand was an easy one for me because I loved Muriwai as soon as I moved to Auckland and started heading out there. And I just think there’s something so beautiful about the west coast beaches. Like the kind of ruggedness and they’re just stunning. And so I’ve always loved Muriwai, and then, when my husband and I were looking for a wedding venue, we found the most amazing spot in Muriwai. And so we got married there three years ago. So, it really holds like a special place in my heart now because, yeah, it’s the place that I got married. So I love Muriwai. It’s just so stunning. And I feel like now, every time I go out there, I have like a different perspective on it because before we got married, I always just loved going there because it was beautiful. And now it feels really special and personal, so Muriwai.

Matty McLean is the co-host of The Hits drive show and Out The Gayte podcast.

Lonely Bay in the Coromandel is Tom Sainsbury's favourite New Zealand beach. Photos / Tim Roxborogh, supplied

Tom Sainsbury

My favourite Kiwi beach is Lonely Bay in the Coromandel. It’s over the cliff from Cooks Beach and is a cute lil’ hideaway with no road access. There’s some gorgeous overhanging pōhutukawa and rock pools aplenty. I love it.

Tom Sainsbury stars in Small Town Scandal, streaming on Neon and Sky Comedy from February 9

Beulah Koale loves spending time at Waiake Beach, in Auckland's Torbay, with his family.

Beulah Koale

Waiake Beach in Torbay is my local. We are lucky enough to live literally down the road from it. It’s a small, almost-private beach that locals in Torbay love. It has a great view of Rangitoto, and in the morning, if I’m up early enough, I usually go out there and watch the sunrise, pray and have a coffee. It’s also a beach my kids love and we are there all the time.

My favourite beach memories involve pōhutukawa trees blooming in the summertime. Sausage sizzles on the barbecue. Volleyball net up and a bunch of Samoans screaming and laughing over a game of dominoes. The best place to be in the world for me during summer is Auckland, and at a beach over a barbecue with family.

Beulah Koale stars in Tinā, available to watch on Apple TV Store, Prime Video Store, Neon Rentals and AroVision.

Ōpito Bay in the Coromandel is NZ's best beach, according to Shortland Street's Jane Wills.

Jane Wills

I love Ōpito Bay in Coromandel. It’s somewhat of a hidden gem and it has the most amazing long, golden-sand beach. It is also close to Luke’s Kitchen, which is my favourite cafe in the Coromandel. They do great pizzas.

Jane Wills plays Phil Grayson in Shortland Street on TVNZ2 and TVNZ+

Jason Reeves

My favourite beach would be Waihī Beach. I love that place. It is such a nice beach. It’s nice and flat, it’s not too barrelly. I’m not much of a surfer, but the beach is wonderful. There’s the Bowentown end, but there’s also the surf club end, and I just love it. The sand is phenomenal. The little township is really nice too. The people are so good. And when you’re at Waihī Beach, up on the hill is the RSA, it’s legendary. We try and get there as often as we possibly can. It’s just such a wonderful place with wonderful memories and I’ll always go back there, and one day I’m going to own a house at Waihī Beach.

Jason Reeves co-hosts Coast’s Breakfast with Toni, Jase & Sam

Now it’s your turn ...

Nominate your favourite beaches in our five categories: Best Family Beach, Best Surf Beach, Best City Beach, Best Hidden Gem Beach and Best Camping Beach. Find out more about the categories with our launch story here.

Nominations are open until the end of Sunday, January 11. From there, the 10 most popular nominees in each category will be collated and announced on Sunday, January 18. You can then vote for the ultimate winners, who will be crowned on February 1.

Any beach, anywhere in New Zealand, could make the final list, from the tip of Te Tai Tokerau Northland to the bottom of Rakiura Stewart Island. It’s all up to you ... get nominating.

Go to nzherald.co.nz/bestbeach to submit your nominations or fill out the entry form below.