Pukehina is a beach and township located in the Western Bay of Plenty District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It consists of a white sandy beach, an estuary, farms and several homes. The area is popular with surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing. There is a campground located at the south-eastern end of the beach, and a boat ramp at the estuary. The beach is dangerous for inexperienced surfers and swimmers due to the strong currents that are often present and steep banks at many places along the six kilometre beach. Offshore winds blow from the south-west, which are quite common since the prevailing wind in New Zealand is westerly. The area also enjoys more sunshine hours than other places in the country. Both sharks and seals have been sighted at the beach. Several dead seals washed up on the beach in August 2019.
Geography
Pukehina Beach is located twenty minutes drive away from Te Puke, the Kiwifruit capital of New Zealand. On the other side of the estuary is Little Waihi and it is a short drive from there to Maketu. To the north-west, across the estuary entrance and around the point is Newdicks Beach. To the east-north-east, out to sea, lies Whakaari / White Island, an active volcano and peak of a 1,600m submarine mountain, which is visible during fine weather. To the south-east there is an extensive area of Māori land.
History
In 2017, Pukekina experienced exponential house price growth, due to demand for holiday homes from New Zealand, Australia, China and the United States. A suspected drink driver crashed into a beachside home in Pukekina in November 2018, but no one was killed or injured in the crash. The Pukehina Volunteer Fire Brigade was sued in early 2018 by a former volunteer fireman who claimed the brigade had a culture of bullying. In 2018, developers applied for planning approval to convert a 165-hectare dairy farm into a sustainable eco-friendly lifestyle village, and a restored wetland for birds like the critically endangered Matuku. In August 2018, State Highway 2 was blocked at Pukehina by a roaming herd of up to 80 cows. Pukekina Surf Club received planning approval in late 2018 to replace its aging club house and shipping container with a new $2.4 million purpose-built building.
Education
Pukehina School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of.
