Tolaga Bay.

Tolaga Bay is a rivermouth beachbreak on the East Cape coast, where the river outflow shapes a sandbar that produces the best waves along what is otherwise an average stretch of beach. The highlight is the rivermouth bar itself, which can get genuinely hollow when conditions align, producing a quality right-hander that runs 100 to 200 metres alongside a shorter left. The broader beach offers standard beachbreak peaks that work across all tidal stages, though the rivermouth bar is the reason to make the drive. East swell is optimal from a wider NE to SE window, and westerly winds provide clean offshore conditions. Wave size ranges from 2 to 3m - on bigger days, the historic 600-metre Tolaga Bay wharf provides a unique shortcut to the lineup, allowing surfers to walk out and jump in behind the break rather than battling through the whitewater. This is a relaxed, uncrowded option between Gisborne and the more remote East Cape points to the north. Rip currents are the main hazard, particularly near the rivermouth channel. Incoming tide tends to produce the cleanest shape on the bar.

River outflow sculpts a right that hollows over 200 metres of shifting sand.