The giant Te Paki sand dunes in New Zealand where people go sandboarding. The sand dune is golden and tall under blue sky.

Sandboarding at Te Paki Sand Dunes, New Zealand

9th March 2026 - New Experience Number 11.

Jump to 'Try it yourself'

Yep, you read that title correctly, you can go sandboarding in New Zealand. Not somewhere you’d think of as having a desert, but the North Island is home to the Te Paki giant sand dunes, and you can sandboard down them.

As a collector of new experiences, I didn’t need much persuading from the Other Half to hire a board and give it a go as one of my 52 new things.

Although I nearly didn’t. It was a very, very long way down.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Not necessarily what you’d expect in New Zealand.

After a bone-shakingly slow 3km drive we arrived at a sight that looked slightly out of place for New Zealand and would have been more at home in the desert.

Just beyond the carpark lay the dramatic landscape we’d come to visit.

Ginormous hills of sand peaked in almost wave-like formations against the sky full of dirty rainclouds that looked ready to burst. Thankfully they ended up moving and turned into a beautiful afternoon.

Stretching upwards more than 100m, the dunes made people look like tiny raisins dotted on a landscape of cake mixture. It was an immense and otherworldly place.

The scenery in New Zealand is just ridiculous, and this was another example of it showing off. Well you would too if you looked that good.

An unsealed road with a car ahead that is throwing up a lot of dust as it drives along in the daytime.
A dusty and bumpy last 3km.
A dramatic looking dark cloudy sky with golden sand dunes beneath them and some green foliage in the foreground in the day time.
The dark clouds made it look more dramatic

Hiring the board

Sand boards propped up outside a trailer where they can be hired by visitors.
Ahikka Adventures where you can hire sandboards

Many people arrived at the dunes with their own board, and it was the Other Half who encouraged me to hire one and have a go.

Handing over my driving licence for the deposit, and $NZ15 to hire the board from Ahikka Adventures, all that stood between me and hurtling down a sand dune head first, was to read the instructions on the door of the van. It seemed straightforward enough, and off we headed.

Feeling like an intrepid explorer

Getting to the top of the dune felt like we were on some sort of expedition. Walking through the undergrowth and then splashing through the stream, we eventually emerged at the dunes. 

We’d previously been to the moving dunes in Poland, and ridden a camel through the desert dunes in Morocco, and still I find the sight of the sandy giants amazing.

They’re so big they look as though they must have some sort of internal scaffolding. And despite the footprints, the slopes look almost unnaturally smooth and neat, as if someone has manufactured them. 

Looking at the Te Paki giant sand dunes in New Zealand. It's a clear blue sky, and there's green grass in the foreground. You can just see people as dots on the dunes.
You can just make out the dots of people on the dunes
Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair wearing shorts and tshirt and holidng a sandboard. She is pointing at the Te Paki sand dunes behind her that she is going to sandboard down
Ready to try sandboarding

Climbing the dune

As we only hired one board between us, the Other Half was going to wait for me at the bottom of the dune.

The walk wasn’t far, but it wasn’t particularly easy.

It was a relentless battle with the soft sand which seemed intent on swallowing my feet at every step.

Despite following a clearly trodden path, I needed two strides to cover the distance of one, as the sand refused to cooperate and insisted on moving every time I put my foot on it.

Eventually I got to the top. The dune domed in a curve behind me. That looked a nice easy way down. Whilst ahead of me the sand dropped away. Well, I wasn’t feeling quite so brave now.

A sand dune fills the frame and there are two tiny people visible climbing up it.
Climbing up was a good workout!
Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair carrying a sandboard as she climbs the Te Paki sand dunes in New Zealand
Following the footprints up the dune

All by myself

One of the giant Te Paki sand dunes in New Zealand. There is a tiny person visible at the top. They are going to sandboard down the dune.
That tiny dot at the top is me on my own

There had been a constant stream of people zipping down the dunes the entire time we had been there. Now it was deserted. I stood at the top of the dune on my own. It looked a very long and very steep way down.

I waved nervously at the Other Half. At least I think it was the Other Half. People were now just a speck below me.

I lay the board down, and thought back to the instructions I’d read. Positioning myself face down and head first on what was felt like some sort of polystyrene packaging, I gripped the edges and braced myself.

A wobble

The way ahead was clear. I was good to go.

Except I didn’t.

I couldn’t bring myself to purposefully push off the precarious ledge to slide down an almost vertical drop.

I was hugely overthinking it. My brain was busy inventing increasingly creative ways this could go wrong, whilst a small, inconvenient part of me kept insisting it would actually be fun.

Practicing every slow breathing technique I could think of, I tried to weigh up the situation. There wasn’t really much to weigh up, I was clearly just stalling for time.

And then I saw a couple slowly making their way to the summit, boards in tow.

A giant sand dune with a person about to sandboard down it at the Te Paki dunes in New Zealand
A snap I got of someone else preparing to surf. I got into that position - and started overthinking

A nudge from strangers

I’d expected their arrival to make me feel embarrassed about dithering at the top. Instead, I felt an enormous sense of relief. I wasn’t going to have to do this entirely on my own.

As they reached the top I told them I’d lost my nerve and was doubting what I remembered about the instructions.

They were so lovely and understanding. Even better, they’d already surfed down this big beast of a sand mountain and were heading back for another go. Seeing how relaxed they were, and hearing that they’d enjoyed it, was exactly the reassurance I needed.

A group of people at the bottom of a giant sand dune where there are people about to surf down it at the top.
Plenty of others had given it a go...
...and their reassurance encouraged me to go for it

Facing the drop

My stomach was still in my mouth, but that little bit of encouragement was enough to overrule the fear.

I don’t think I could have gripped that board any tighter as my fingers clasped around the edges.

I put my toes into the sand and pushed myself a little closer to the edge. And then I pushed again. I was teetering so close to the drop but it took an agonising number of pushes until I could finally feel the board tipping.

One final flick of the toes, and there was no going back.

I was finally sandboarding

The initial moment when I eventually slipped over the edge was peak fear.

But as soon as we were in motion I realised everything was fine. The board was doing what the board needed to do, I was on the board, and I hadn’t gone cartwheeling face first into the sand.

I let out a whoop of delight, (and relief), as I hurtled down the side of the dune, sand rushing past me in a blur.

And all too quickly the dune curved towards a lip at the bottom bringing me to a steady stop. I’m pretty sure I fist bumped the air as I stood up.

The image is entirely filled with sand and there is a person sandboarding down it.
Not me, but a picture I took of someone else sandboarding. I looked exactly like that!

Not quite the grand finale

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair standing with a sandboard at the Te Paki sand dunes in New Zealand. She is smiling at the camera.
I'd done it!

The couple swooped alongside me, and with a wide grin I thanked them for their help at the top.

I could happily have climbed back up and gone again, but we didn’t really have the time, especially after I’d spent so long faffing about at the top trying to pluck up the courage.

So the Other Half had a go on a slightly smaller dune. He sped down the slope, unfortunately getting a face full of sand along the way. I’m not sure how I had managed to avoid it.

Why I loved trying sandboarding

I had definitely spent longer overthinking sliding down that dune than I spent actually doing it. But I’m so glad I did it.

You can’t beat that overwhelming surge of adrenaline you get from doing something that genuinely pushes you out of your comfort zone. The relief that it’s over followed by the wonderful ‘oh my god I can’t believe I just did that!’ feeling.

The fear didn’t magically disappear as I looked down at that enormous drop. I hadn’t suddenly become brave. I was still terrified.

But I’d decided I wanted to do it, and a little encouragement from two strangers gave me just enough reassurance to take the next step.

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman wearing shorts and tshirt, standing at the Te Paki sand dunes in New Zealand with a sandboard
I'd blooming loved it!

Sometimes, that’s all we need. Not someone to push us over the edge, but someone who helps us feel confident enough to take the leap ourselves.

And sometimes, the thing we’ve spent ages worrying about turns out to be enormous fun. Even if it does involve hurtling head first down a giant sand dune on a piece of foam.

If you’re planning on visiting Cape Reinga at the very top of the North Island, then I think it’s well worth making the short detour to visit the dunes.

Want To Try It Yourself?

  • To try sandboarding down the Te Paki sand dunes, you’ll need to head to the very top of New Zealand’s North Island, near Cape Reinga.
  • You can take your own board, or hire one from Ahikka Adventures who are located in the car park.

Cost Of Experience

  • Parking at the Te Paki sand dunes is free.
  • We paid $NZ 15 (around £6.40) to hire a board in March 2026.
  • There was no time limit to the hire so you can surf the dunes for as long as you like.

My Recommendations

  • Take care. Sandboarding can be dangerous, so check the website for safety advice before you go.

  • Take cash and ID. If you’re hiring a board from Ahikka Adventures, you’ll need cash to pay and some form of ID to leave as a deposit.

  • Allow time for the drive. The final 3km off State Highway 1 is unsealed, so expect a bumpy, gravelly ride.

  • Protect your feet. The sand can get hot, so consider wearing socks or covering your toes. You’ll also want to think about what footwear is practical for the walk up the dunes.

  • Slap on the sun cream. Even on a cloudy day, the UV levels in New Zealand can be high.

  • Don’t forget your camera! Get some photos of yourself in action, and let me know how you get on if you give it a go. I’d love to hear about it!

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