Todays shot is of the southern side of Maori Bay (more properly titled Maukatia). Shot from the souther hilltop of Muriwai, Maori Bay is a popular stop for surfers, offering nice waves and little of the swimming crowds that places like Piha (another west coast beach) offer.
I tried to look into the history behind Maukatia/Maori Bay and its name change, but didnt really find much. For those of you reading from overseas, you may have noticed from time to time I discuss New Zealand and its dual names of places – owing to the fact we have three official languages (Maori, English and Sign). I found record of some treaty settlements in recent history that rename Maori Bay back to its likely original name of Maukatia. Im not sure on the definition/translation of Maukatia. My usual dictionary does not list it. I can only assume it was called Maori bay from some observation of locals way back in the past?
With the car park high above the beach, surfers and visitors alike get some amazing views out to sea. Visit at low tide and you can also explore the natural tunnel on the northern end of the beach.
So thats Maikatia/Maori Bay. Some more from the Muriwai area tomorrow.
MikeHawkey.com 
I sure don’t surf anymore (age has taken care of that), but it’s great to see there is still an open and CLEAN beach these days.
Thanks for the comment. On clean, I will most certainly agree. I didnt really think about it at the time, but it was beautifully clean.