Waverly.

Waverly sits just north of the Taranaki coast where the land bends enough to create a right-hand point next to the unusual volcanic rock formations of Cave Beach. It's a messy wave by default - the S-facing beachbreak to its south often runs interference - but when a proper SW swell lines up and the NE holds offshore, the point section organises into a punchy, hollow right that can wall for 200 to 500 metres before closing out on the inside shelf. The bottom is sand over submerged rocks, which means the boils and depth changes are unpredictable; a wave that looks generous at takeoff can suddenly go shallow mid-ride. Size range is wide, from head-high beach-break slop at 0.6m up to thick, powerful ledges at 2.4-3m when the south-west groundswell arrives. Incoming tide from mid to high is the sweet spot - too low and the rocks show through; too high and the point section fattens out. The beachbreak next door can produce better-shaped walls on some days when the point is tracking wide. Rips run along the rocks and the shark presence in these waters is real. The rock formations along the cliff line are geologically distinctive and worth a look even on flat days.

Sand over submerged rocks turns Waverly's generous walls suddenly shallow mid-ride.