Mokau

Prior to 1989, the town was classed as being in Taranaki, and there is still a feeling that the community of interest is most associated with New Plymouth, 90 km to the southwest. State Highway 3 passes through the town on its route from Te Kuiti to Waitara and, eventually, New Plymouth.

Mokau is a popular location for whitebaiting and other fishing including for kahawai (mainly found at the river mouth) and snapper (which are found right along the coast in several spots).

Mokau also has a couple of outstanding surf breaks that, in the right conditions, can produce waves of up to 6 ft (1.8m).

History: At its mouth the Mokau River is confined by a sand bar, and on the raised beaches formed during past interglacial periods, ironsand dunes have been deposited. The river carries a predominantly fine sediment load, has a low gradient over the last several miles of its course, and is tidal for some distance upstream. From near Piopio the river enters into a broadly open, low-rounded topography above the steep-walled, narrow limestone gorges.

The river for its whole length once formed the boundary between the Auckland and Taranaki Provinces, and today forms the boundary between the land districts The port, Mokau, at the mouth of the river, is no longer used.