Image: Neil Robert Hutton | ©
Opotiki beach.
Ōpōtiki area

Located in the East Coast region

Nestled in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Ōpōtiki is one of New Zealand’s hidden gems.

Explore the Motu Trails, relax on the sandy coastline, or discover the thousands of shades of green in the Waioeka Gorge.

To get to Ōpōtiki you can travel from:

  • Whakatāne head on to Ōhope, through the Wainui Gorge to Kutarere, where you re-join SH2.
  • Gisborne and Wairoa by going north on SH2.

In this area is the Hukutaia Domain. In this domain is a 2,500-year-old Puriri Tree, highly sacred to local Māori.

Ōpōtiki comes from the name of a spring above Waiotahi Beach. It dates to a legend from the migration from Hawaiiki, about a chief, his brother and their two Tanahanaha fish pets known as O-Potiki-mai Tawhiti or "two pets from afar".

Reflecting the area’s importance for Māori, the main street of Ōpōtiki is decorated with the works of master carvers.