Te Henga (Bethells Beach)

This guide to Te Henga, Bethells Beach in Auckland begins with the sea itself, one of the country's most dangerous swimming beaches, and traces why: rip currents, black volcanic sand carried up from Taranaki, and the wind-built dunes that gave the place its Maori name. It follows Te Kawerau a Maki, the iwi who named this coastline and who lost most of their customary title here within years of the Treaty of Waitangi. Shell middens on nearby Kauwahaia Island date back to around 1600, visible from the beach on a clear day.