About 25 kilometres south of the cape, the Te Paki dunes rise dramatically out of the surrounding low scrub. The biggest reach 150 metres or more, their fine golden sand sculpted into long ridges by the prevailing wind. They are reached on a side road off SH1F just before the cape itself.
Most visitors come to sandboard — operators near the dune base hire body boards, and the long slide down the steepest faces is genuinely thrilling. The dunes also adjoin Te Paki Stream, which connects to Ninety Mile Beach: 4x4 tour operators run vehicles down the stream and along the beach as part of day trips from the Bay of Islands.