Sandboarding the Te Paki Sand Dunes of New Zealand

The giant Te Paki Sand Dunes are an impressive 10 square kilometers of sand in the far north of New Zealand. Situated at the northern tip of Ninety Mile Beach, and just south of Cape Reinga, the Te Paki Sand Dunes are easy to fit in while you are visiting the iconic stops of Northland.

Te Paki Sand Dunes

The dunes are an impressive Northland sight worthy of a stop on their own. At approximately 150 meters high and constantly shifting, they seem to magically rise out of sheep pasture and New Zealand bush. Visit the Te Paki dunes to take in the beauty, or to take a sandboarding ride down the steep, sandy slopes. Sandboarding down the dunes is a unique way to spend a few hours! You will also most likely stop here if joining one of the Cape Reinga tours.

Family Friendly Sledding at Te Paki

The face of the dune looks quite steep when you’re at the top, or looking from down below. When you actually begin sledding, it’s easy to control your speed (if you want to!) by dragging your legs in the sand behind you. The hardest part is definitely pushing off from the level top of the dune on your first run!

The staff at the sandboard rentals is adamant that adults only sled along a certain section, as this will reduce the impact on the dunes. They do make exceptions for kids. Kids are allowed to sled to the side of the main hill which is shorter and less steep. It was a good warm up for Ty, age 11, who ended up graduating to the big hill. For Tora, age 8, she chose to stick with the shorter hill the entire time.

The hike up to the top of the main hill was the hardest for kids, and not easy for adults! The dune is fairly steep, and your feet sink far into the sand with each step. It was definitely a great workout!

Sandboard Rentals

There is no entrance fee to visit the dunes. Boogie board rentals are available on site at $15 NZD each plus a bond/collateral to leave with the rental company such as car keys or a drivers license.

We rented four boogie boards, one for each member of the family. In reality we only needed two, as we always ended up taking turns with one adult/kid waiting at the bottom of the hill on each run. Keep this in mind if you are sandboarding with young kids, as it will save a few dollars

Nearby Cape Reinga

It’s easy to fit in a visit to both New Zealand’s northern tip of Cape Reinga, and the Te Paki Sand Dunes on the same day. We ended up having three hours at the dunes, after visiting Cape Reinga in the morning.

If you are planning to sandboard, three hours is the minimum we recommend. The dunes are absolutely magnificent, and you can explore beyond the main sledding hill if you have the time.

See More: North Island details, plus Cape Reinga, Hiking, Accommodation near Te Paki.

Getting There

The Te Paki Sand dunes are close to the top of the Northland region of New Zealand. Follow State Highway 1 from Kaitaia up the peninsula and towards Cape Reinga. The dunes are well marked off SH1, with just a few kilometer drive to get there off the main road.

Parking is free, with the spots at the base of the dunes filling up early in the day. There is plenty of overflow parking a 5 minute walk away, with parking attendants directing traffic.

Driving

Driving up along along the Northland peninsula you’ll see frequent glimpses of huge sand dunes and ocean off in the distance. It would be amazing to take the time and explore more than just the Te Paki Sand Dunes! This never ending entertainment definitely helped pass the time during the long trip north.

State Highway 10 (from the Bay of Islands) merges with State Highway 1 (from Auckland) at the base of the Northland Peninsula in Awanui. From there, you’ll follow along SH 1 to both the Te Paki Sand Dunes and Cape Reinga. The peninsula is narrow enough that you’ll have gorgeous ocean views off to both sides.

Travel Time to Te Paki Sand Dunes:

• From Auckland: 5.5 hours
• From Kaitaia/Awanui: 1.5 hours
• From Cape Reinga: 25 minutes

Cape Reinga Tours

While we’re far from the types of travelers who schedule tours, we wish we had known the details of the Cape Reinga tours ahead of time. Tours were already full by the time we started plotting out our trip to Cape Reinga and Te Paki. If you’re trying to fit all the sights of this New Zealand region into one day, save yourself the half day of driving and let the tour bus do it for you.

Tours typically depart from Kaitaia and head north towards Cape Reinga, with a long drive along Ninety Mile Beach before or after the Cape (depending on the tides). They make a stop at Te Paki Sand Dunes and provide sand sleds as part of the tour fee. In the end we felt like we would have saved on gas and sled fee, and likely have been a bit more refreshed without all the driving!

We don’t have a specific tour to recommend since we weren’t able to book, but take a look at the following companies as a place to start researching if interested.

• Harrison’s Cape Runner
• Dune Rider Tours
• Dolphin Cruises (leaves from the Bay of Islands region)

Trying Sandboarding?

Have you ever tried sandboarding? If so, where? This was definitely a first for us, and I can’t image being able to ride down on an actual snowboard type board. There was one crazy tourist who kept trying to stand on her board, and the wipe outs were pretty horrific to see. Thankfully she walked away every time. Beginner snowboarding hills are less steep!

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