Uretiti Beach () is a stretch of beach between Ruakākā and Waipu on

Bream Bay Bream Bay is an embayment and area south-east of Whangārei, on the east coast of New Zealand. The bay runs from Bream Head, at the mouth of Whangārei Harbour, 22 kilometres south to the headland of Bream Tail, east of Langs Beach and north ...

to the south of Whangarei in Northland,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It comprises the coastal side of the Uretiti Recreation Reserve and Uretiti Scenic Reserve, and is served by a

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

(DOC) campground within the Recreation Reserve. Uretiti Beach is popular for swimming, surfing, and fishing, and a well-known clothing-optional beach and

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

cruising site.

Name

The name ''Uretiti'' dates to before the British colonization of New Zealand.

DOC DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode * ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...

consulted with the local Patuharakeke

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

before setting the official names of the reserves, but were given no advice on the meaning of ''Uretiti''. In

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, ''ure'' means "penis", and ''titi'' means "peg" or "to poke". It is also local belief that the area was named after the breeding ground of the ''titi'' bird, also known as muttonbird or

Sooty shearwater The sooty shearwater (''Ardenna grisea'') is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand, it is also known by its Māori name , and as muttonbird, like its relatives the wedge-tailed shearwater (''A. pacificus' ...

. The translation of ''ure'' insinuates the meaning of breeding ground, instead of the direct translation.

Physical geography

Uretiti Beach faces almost due east into

. Its northern and southern extremities are defined by DOC boundaries rather than topographical features; it shades into Ruakākā Beach adjacent to Ruakākā township at the northern end, and into the Waipu Wildlife Refuge near Waipu town at the southern end. The stretch of beach thus defined is approximately long. Northeast of Ruakākā, Bream Bay ends at

Marsden Point Marsden Point is a broad, flat peninsula that is the southern head of the Whangārei Harbour entrance on the east coast of Northland, New Zealand, southeast of the city of Whangārei. It is the location of Marsden Point Oil Refinery and the N ...

, marking the mouth of Whangarei Harbour. Southeast of Waipu town are further beaches including Waipu Cove and Langs Beach before the Bay ends at Bream Tail. The

Hen and Chicken Islands The Hen and Chicken Islands (usually known collectively as the ''Hen and Chickens'') lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They lie east of Bream Head and south-east of Whangarei with a total ...

lie approximately offshore to the east.

Recreational use

Uretiti is a popular site for surfing, fishing, swimming, and walking. Its water consistently passes water quality tests for swimming safety. It is not patrolled by lifeguards. The beach is a section of

Te Araroa Te Araroa (The Long Pathway) is New Zealand's long distance tramping route, stretching circa along the length of the country's two main islands from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Officially opened in 2011, it is made up of a mixture of previously made ...

walking trail, which runs the length of the country. The main access to the beach is via the DOC campground, which provides 300 unpowered tent sites and facilities described as "basic" – toilets, water taps, and cold showers (hot showers are coin-operated). DOC warns visitors to clean their shoes upon leaving to avoid spreading kauri dieback disease, and notes that wasp nests are a hazard in the area. Uretiti is a popular site for

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

revelry; visitors wishing to camp during the peak of the season are advised to book in advance. New Year revellers and other visitors frequently light fireworks or bonfires on the beach despite total fire bans in the area; fireworks are believed to be responsible for a fire which claimed of scrub in 2016.

Nudity

Uretiti is Northland's most popular beach for

naturism Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

. In general, naturists use the southern half of the beach; however, this is a custom rather than an enforceable rule. Public nudity is legal on any New Zealand beach where it is "known to occur". Nudity is not permitted within the DOC campground; campers found in breach of this rule are asked to dress or leave the site. Uretiti is an established site for

activity, including

gay naturism Gay naturism or LGBT naturism (where naturism is generally equated with ''nudism'') concerns a lifestyle of gay people in which nudity, especially in a communal context, is viewed as natural, positive and healthy. While naturist clubs and reso ...

and cruising in addition to rainbow-themed New Year parties.

Tensions over crab-fishing

Tensions have arisen between visiting crab-fishers and local residents, who allege that the fishers frequently leave animal carcasses, used as crab bait, on the beach. A number of fishers drowned in the late 2010s while setting crab pots in small

dinghies A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

. As a large proportion of these fishers are of East Asian origin, calls for crab-fishing to be banned in the area have become racially charged.

References

{{reflist Beaches of the Northland Region LGBT culture in New Zealand Naturism in New Zealand Nude beaches Whangarei District