Mangawhai Village is the older, inland half of the community — sometimes just called Mangawhai — about four kilometres south of the Heads. It sits at the head of the harbour where the road from State Highway 1 reaches the coast.
The village has the pub (the Mangawhai Tavern, on the water), a Saturday morning farmers' market, a handful of cafes, and the only proper grocery shop in the area. The wharf at the village end of the harbour is a popular spot for crabbing and is the closest thing the community has to a town centre. Most of what passes for nightlife in Mangawhai happens at the Tavern.