New Zealand · Manawatū-Whanganui
Ranked by the OnlyBeaches Index (OBI) — a 1-10 score blending water purity, conditions, crowd levels and vibe. Updated every 30 minutes.
Castlecliff Beach
Whanganui’s main ocean beach with surf, dunes and easy city access.
Kai Iwi Beach
Recognized local beach area near Kai Iwi Stream with west-coast cliffs and open sand.
Morgan Street Beach
Local Castlecliff-side beach area that is often missed when only main beach names are indexed.
Mosquito Point Beach
Small local beach area near the lower Whanganui River, useful as a low-key local favorite.
Nukumaru Beach
Open rural coastline west of Whanganui with a remote surf-and-dune character.
Ototoka Beach
Scenic cliff-backed black-sand beach north-west of Whanganui, best known by locals and photographers.
South Beach
Long open black-sand beach on the south side of the Whanganui River.
Whangaehu Beach
Quiet beach near the Whangaehu River mouth that helps fill the coast between Whanganui and Turakina.
Whanganui sits in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand and is home to 8 ranked beaches on OnlyBeaches. Every beach here is scored by the OnlyBeaches Index — a 1-10 metric blending water purity, live conditions (waves, water temperature, wind), crowd intelligence and vibe.
Whether you're after the highest-scoring beach in Whanganui or a quieter hidden cove, the list above is refreshed every 30 minutes using live Stormglass and OpenWeather data.
