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Mangawhai Heads

Beach at Mangawhai Heads.

©denizunlusu/Getty Images

Mangawhai's main claim to fame is the surf beach and its large hilltop car park fills up quickly in peak season. To the south a narrow spit of sand stretches for kilometres to form the estuary's southern head, sheltering a seabird sanctuary. Across the estuary the beautiful, seemingly empty expanse of dunes is home to precious wildlife including endangered dotterels and fairy terns who nest in the sand.

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