The NZ Herald’s annual New Zealand’s Best Beach competition is taking votes again for 2026, and nominations are open now at nzherald.co.nz/bestbeach. You can nominate one contender for each category, and nominations stay open until the end of Sunday, January 11. Last year, Waipu Cove effectively emerged as the new overall best beach, winning both Best Family Beach and Best Camping Beach and placing second in Best Surf Beach. The 2025 Best City Beach went to Mount Maunganui (Main Beach), with Ōrewa in second place, after Ōrewa won the Best City Beach category in 2023. For Coasties, it’s a simple moment to pop in, scroll the categories, and put forward your favourite Hibiscus Coast beaches across as many categories as you can.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 03, 2026 19:01 UTC