Waimārama is 20 minutes' drive from Havelock North, offering a long white sand beach that's generally very safe for swimming. The Waimārama Surf Lifesaving Club patrols typically start in November and finish end of March.
There is a small community of permanent residents, along with an abundance of holiday accommodation and a camp ground. It has good mobile phone coverage, while the general store also has a great takeaways menu.
There are public toilets, BBQ facilities and a playground near the surf lifesaving club.
The unmissable outline of Motu o Kura (Bare Island) lies about 2km off the Waimārama coast. From the shore, Motu o Kura is bare, but from the seaward side, there is enough cover to provide resting sites for blue penguins and sooty shearwaters. On the south-west side of the island, there is an aquifer exuding fresh water called Nga Puhake-o-te-ora or 'the burp of life'. According to Māori legend, Kura was a mighty woman who, during times of siege, would dive down to obtain fresh water from the aquifer as there is no fresh water found on Motu o Kura.
To access the beach by the surf club, take the first left onto Airini Road and continue past the store for a few hundred metres, then turn right onto Moore Road and right again to enter the Waimārama Domain. Follow this road around to public parking and beach access.