Waipapakauri Ramp is the main southern access point for Ninety Mile Beach, and where most self-drive visitors enter the sand. There is a small car park, a basic toilet block, and a noticeboard with tide and condition information that is worth reading before you commit.
From here you can walk north along the beach without driving — the first few kilometres near the ramp are the most accessible on foot, and in summer you will find locals swimming and kids playing in the shallows. The beach itself looks more manageable from this end than it really is; the conditions a few kilometres north, away from the shelter of the headland, can be very different.
A surf lifesaving patrol operates here during summer. Outside the patrolled area the beach is unpatrolled and the currents are strong. The Tasman Sea is powerful and unpredictable at any time of year.