Waiheke is a large island located east of Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf. It is a well-known tourist excursion for Auckland visitors, and it is accessible by passenger ferry from downtown Auckland. (Although there is automobile service to the island from Half Moon Bay, it is quite expensive and not worth the effort for short visits.) One of the many textile beaches of Waiheke is Palm Beach, which is at Palm Beach village on the north coast of the island. Little Palm Beach is the name given to the smaller beach that is just west of Palm Beach, beyond an outcropping of rocks. Little Palm is an extremely beautiful sandy beach, and it is where you will find nude bathers. The crowd is very mixed, and most visitors opt to be naked. Nude bathing has been freely practiced and tolerated at Little Palm for over 30 years, ever since authorities lost a very public battle to prosecute someone for being naked here in the 1970's. There are no facilities at the nude beach, but adjacent Palm Beach has restrooms and a snack stand.

To get to Little Palm Beach, you can park at Palm Beach and walk west (to the left when facing the water) across the rocky outcropping. Or, you can park directly above the nude beach and hike downhill. The trail is signed "Route to Little Palm Beach," and the walk is 300-400 meters (see the green line).

more info from Free Beaches New Zealand (scroll down to Little Palm Beach)

more info from Let's Get Naked New Zealand

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: -36.7797, 175.0400

community, region, island, country
  Palm Beach (Waiheke Island), Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

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