The Mahia Peninsula juts south from the coast about 50 kilometres from Wairoa, a hilly promontory separating Poverty Bay from Hawke's Bay. It has a mix of beaches — some exposed to ocean swells and excellent for surfing (Black's Beach), others sheltered and calm for swimming (Opoutama, Mahanga, Taylors Bay) — along with good game fishing offshore in season.
The peninsula is also home to Rocket Lab's launch complex at its southern tip, making it one of the more unusual places in New Zealand to watch the sky. Launch schedules are posted on the Rocket Lab website; when conditions are right, spectators gather on the clifftops to watch the Electron rocket lift off over the Pacific. The drive out along the peninsula itself is worth doing for the views back across the bay.