Best beaches: Piha the resounding favourite

Black beauty Piha beach was a resounding favourite. Photo / Jane Ussher

The iconic Piha, west of Auckland, has topped the list of the country's best beaches, as voted by Herald on Sunday readers. But it was a closely fought race, with Piha only just fending off a strong challenge from another Auckland icon - Takapuna Beach.

Beyond that votes came in for beaches as far afield at Dunedin's St Clair in the south and Ninety Mile Beach in the north.

The contest for most scenic beach was another hotly debated contest. Coromandel's Cathedral Cove eventually took it out, but it was a closely fought race with Kaiteriteri in Nelson Bays.

Best beach: Winner: Piha

Honourable mentions: Takapuna, North Shore; Mission Bay, Auckland; Kaiteriteri, Nelson Bays; Tahunanui, Nelson; Cathedral Cove; Coromandel; Cooks Beach Coromandel; Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty; KariKari Beach, Northland; Coopers Beach, Northland, Ninety Mile Beach, Northland.

Best beach for kids
Winner: Waiake Beach, North Shore.

Honourable mentions: Orewa Beach, Rodney; Thornton Bay, Coromandel; Cheltenham, North Shore; Takapuna, North Shore; Tahunanui, Nelson.

Best beach for surf
Winner: A tie between Piha and Whale Bay, Raglan

Honourable mentions: Whangamata, Coromandel; Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty; Wainui, Gisborne.Best secret beachWinner: Awana, Great Barrier

Awana took it out by a whisker but votes for this category were, not surprisingly, spread far and wide - and even less surprisingly most voters were very reluctant to be too specific as to location!

Here's a few picked at random: Minnehaha, North Shore; East Beach, Northland; Te Rarawa, Northland; Anaura Bay, Eastland; Motutara Island, Hauraki Gulf; Lonely Bay, Coromandel; Makarori, Gisborne; Otarawairere, Bay of Plenty.

Best Auckland beach
Winner: Takapuna

Honourable mentions: Piha, Mission Bay, Cheltenham, Long Bay, Campbell's Bay.

Best camping beach
Winner: Tied between Pakiri, north Auckland and Tahunanui, Nelson.

Best kept secret: Awana Bay on Great Barrier Island.

- Detours, HoS