Beautiful beach, great fishing

Te Arai Point is just south of Mangawhai Heads, and can be reached on several routes from State Highway 1 in the middle of the Dome Valley, towards Tomorata or from Mangawhai.

The last couple of kilometres of the road are gravel, to Te Arai or The Forestry around the southern end of Te Arai Point. This is the far northern end of Pakiri Beach.

The beautiful white sandy beaches provide rock and beach fishing. Over summer, the beach is as good as anywhere. Early morning and late evening can be best.

As access to the pine forests is closed, it's either fish all night or move around to Te Arai.

Surfcast into the gutters with fresh mullet baits and sandgrabber sinkers attached to a ledger rig. Shellfish tied with bait elastic will also work.

Kahawai and snapper are the usual catch. The snapper get bigger as the evenings go on, especially through February and March and into April.

The ideal conditions are a light swell of less than one metre, with light winds from any direction.

Some surface ripple is good as the water can otherwise be crystal clear and the fishing hard. Kites work really well here.

Walk up the beaches rather than defying driving bans to take the 4WD.

* Peter Jessup is a Herald sports reporter and fishing columnist.