Matapouri is the headline beach of the Tutukaka coast — a long crescent of white sand framed by pohutukawa-covered headlands, about ten minutes' drive north of the harbour. The bay is sheltered, the water is clear, and in summer it draws a low-key crowd of Kiwi families with picnic blankets.
A short clifftop walk at the north end of the beach leads to the Mermaid Pools (Te Wai-o-Tane), a sequence of saltwater rock pools carved into the volcanic shoreline. The pools were closed to the public in 2019 because of overuse and damage to the rocks above them, but the walk and the views remain.