Mahia Peninsula was once an island of the East Coast between Gisborne and Napier but over time a sandbar has formed join it to the mainland as a peninsula. Early whalers had a station there, sheltered by Long Point on the western coast.
The peninsula is a substantial 21.7km long, 11.3km wide at its widest point, with a height of 397m. According to Maori legend, Mahia Peninsula is Te Matau a Maui, “the fish hook of Maui”. Today Mahia’s main attraction is still the sea, particularly for fishing and surfing; this sees the little coastal community burgeoning over the summer holiday period. On the western side (facing Napier) of Mahia Peninsula are the Mahia Beach Motor camp, a shop, pub, some private baches and the friendly Mahia Boating and Fishing Club, while on the eastern side (facing Gisborne) is Mahunga at the peninsula base, Oraka Beach, some more baches and the Whangawehi inlet.
The peninsula is a substantial 21.7km long, 11.3km wide at its widest point, with a height of 397m. According to Maori legend, Mahia Peninsula is Te Matau a Maui, “the fish hook of Maui”. Today Mahia’s main attraction is still the sea, particularly for fishing and surfing; this sees the little coastal community burgeoning over the summer holiday period. On the western side (facing Napier) of Mahia Peninsula are the Mahia Beach Motor camp, a shop, pub, some private baches and the friendly Mahia Boating and Fishing Club, while on the eastern side (facing Gisborne) is Mahunga at the peninsula base, Oraka Beach, some more baches and the Whangawehi inlet.
Words & Photos: Kevin Power
Accommodation:
We stayed at the Mahia Beach Motor Camp which is well-set-up for fishermen with boat wash-down and fish filleting areas. The water pressure wasn’t fantastic but it was certainly enough to get the engine flushed and the boat cleaned. Our campsite size was very generous, with plenty of room for a boat, large tent and vehicle. The shower blocks varied in quality from very average to great but they were free! All-in-all a good honest Kiwi camping ground. Of course, if you aren’t into the camping gig the other option is to rent a bach.
There are several shops on the peninsular which, along with the usual groceries, sell a range of relevant tackle, plus ice to keep the drinks and fish cold – and if you ask nicely the local fish-and-chip shop will batter and cook your fillets for you for a small fee. A coffee cart with great coffee was a must-visit to top up the caffeine levels on the way to the boat ramp each morning! The local gas station, with a very basic shop, is approximately a 6km drive from the Mahia Boating Club launching area - so it pays to get plenty of fuel on your way in.
Launching:
One of the main benefits of Mahia as a fishing base is the ability to launch either on the western or eastern side of the peninsula depending on the prevailing wind and swell. On the western side, beach launching is the order of the day and is a relatively easy affair with a firm and sufficiently-angled beach to let you launch by car at all but the lowest cycle of the tide. Most locals however use either their own tractor or one of the Mahia Boating and Fishing Club’s tractors for which a key can be purchased when you join as a club member; a great idea that saves your car becoming a rust bucket.
The natural boat harbour of Whangawehi on the eastern side of the peninsula is far more tide-dependent, with a window of about 3 hours each side of high tide but the ‘puka and terakihi grounds are quite close by, so six hours should be plenty of time to catch a feed.
Fishing:
The favoured spot for surfcasting is off the Nuhaka – Opoutama highway on the way to the peninsular proper, off a steeply-sloping rocky beach. For rock fishing there are some superb ledges all along the peninsula, particularly off the Mahia east coast road ... primo ground for land-based kingfishing.
All along the western side of the peninsular there are rocky reefs, perfect cray habitat. It seemed every boat on the peninsular had cray-pots out - the launching area at Mahia Beach was as packed as the Viaduct on RWC opening night. Other favourite species for boaties at Mahia are terakihi and ‘puka with plenty of foul ground in close and out to past the 100m contour on the eastern side of the peninsular. Launching on the western side it is a longer haul out to the ‘puka grounds but if you are keen on a big mission a trip out to the Lachlan Banks should be on your Bucket List. In closer, kahawai, kingies and gurnard are plentiful along the coast and over the sandy flats directly off Mahia beach. Over the summer marlin and tuna can also be caught. Shellfish gathering and floundering in the estuary are options too, and great fun to do with the family.
If you, like us, are a newbie to the area pop down to the Mahia Boating and Fishing Club; they were very welcoming and will point you in the right direction. Of course, this goes for anytime you are new to any area: your fastest, most effective and cheapest way to getting out amongst it is to listen to the locals. Better still, go fishing with them like our campground neighbours --------- and -------- did. They never looked back for the rest of their stay, coming back to the campground with fish bins full of ‘puka and terakihi.
If you’re into diving Mahia is a diver’s paradise with a huge array of cray-diving spots and also several wrecks to explore including the SS Tasmania and SS Tongariro.
All-in-all Mahia is an interesting and out-of-the-way fishing destination with enough other activities including walking, surfing or just plain relaxing, to keep you amused on fishing lay days.
We stayed at the Mahia Beach Motor Camp which is well-set-up for fishermen with boat wash-down and fish filleting areas. The water pressure wasn’t fantastic but it was certainly enough to get the engine flushed and the boat cleaned. Our campsite size was very generous, with plenty of room for a boat, large tent and vehicle. The shower blocks varied in quality from very average to great but they were free! All-in-all a good honest Kiwi camping ground. Of course, if you aren’t into the camping gig the other option is to rent a bach.
There are several shops on the peninsular which, along with the usual groceries, sell a range of relevant tackle, plus ice to keep the drinks and fish cold – and if you ask nicely the local fish-and-chip shop will batter and cook your fillets for you for a small fee. A coffee cart with great coffee was a must-visit to top up the caffeine levels on the way to the boat ramp each morning! The local gas station, with a very basic shop, is approximately a 6km drive from the Mahia Boating Club launching area - so it pays to get plenty of fuel on your way in.
Launching:
One of the main benefits of Mahia as a fishing base is the ability to launch either on the western or eastern side of the peninsula depending on the prevailing wind and swell. On the western side, beach launching is the order of the day and is a relatively easy affair with a firm and sufficiently-angled beach to let you launch by car at all but the lowest cycle of the tide. Most locals however use either their own tractor or one of the Mahia Boating and Fishing Club’s tractors for which a key can be purchased when you join as a club member; a great idea that saves your car becoming a rust bucket.
The natural boat harbour of Whangawehi on the eastern side of the peninsula is far more tide-dependent, with a window of about 3 hours each side of high tide but the ‘puka and terakihi grounds are quite close by, so six hours should be plenty of time to catch a feed.
Fishing:
The favoured spot for surfcasting is off the Nuhaka – Opoutama highway on the way to the peninsular proper, off a steeply-sloping rocky beach. For rock fishing there are some superb ledges all along the peninsula, particularly off the Mahia east coast road ... primo ground for land-based kingfishing.
All along the western side of the peninsular there are rocky reefs, perfect cray habitat. It seemed every boat on the peninsular had cray-pots out - the launching area at Mahia Beach was as packed as the Viaduct on RWC opening night. Other favourite species for boaties at Mahia are terakihi and ‘puka with plenty of foul ground in close and out to past the 100m contour on the eastern side of the peninsular. Launching on the western side it is a longer haul out to the ‘puka grounds but if you are keen on a big mission a trip out to the Lachlan Banks should be on your Bucket List. In closer, kahawai, kingies and gurnard are plentiful along the coast and over the sandy flats directly off Mahia beach. Over the summer marlin and tuna can also be caught. Shellfish gathering and floundering in the estuary are options too, and great fun to do with the family.
If you, like us, are a newbie to the area pop down to the Mahia Boating and Fishing Club; they were very welcoming and will point you in the right direction. Of course, this goes for anytime you are new to any area: your fastest, most effective and cheapest way to getting out amongst it is to listen to the locals. Better still, go fishing with them like our campground neighbours --------- and -------- did. They never looked back for the rest of their stay, coming back to the campground with fish bins full of ‘puka and terakihi.
If you’re into diving Mahia is a diver’s paradise with a huge array of cray-diving spots and also several wrecks to explore including the SS Tasmania and SS Tongariro.
All-in-all Mahia is an interesting and out-of-the-way fishing destination with enough other activities including walking, surfing or just plain relaxing, to keep you amused on fishing lay days.