- Overview
- Itinerary
- Gallery
- FAQ
- Gear list
- Dates & Pricing
Duration: half day / 4hrs
Discover Bethells Boogie; a supreme Bethells Beach Body Boarding journey through archaeological history and the worlds' second longest sea caves, then boogie board back surfing waves to shore. Indeed we carefully crafted a world-first in New Zealand, never done or seen before adventure, a sea experience with a spin of adventure taking you where few people venture, safely. Do something truly new, New Zealand and discover an experience full of superlatives!
Do not try this yourself; Bethells beach can be dangerous if caught out. Boogie board with our trained and experienced professional staff with health and safety plans and equipment.
SNM; registered Coasteering operators at Bethells Beach
WorkSafe is New Zealand’s primary workplace health and safety regulator. WorkSafe New Zealand registers our audit under the Adventure Activities Certification Scheme
Bethells Boogie west coast tour
One of many family friendly beaches west Auckland has to offer with water activities for kids and adults, our open-air museum has you learning about New Zealands' largest stratovolcano. An undersea volcano - Waitakere Volcano - 6 times the size of Mount Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro combined and estimated to be as high as Aoraki Mt Cook. Waitakere Volcano is now dormant 20 km west of today’s coastal Waitakere Ranges. Therefore, discover while Bethells Beach Body Boarding why the Waitakere Ranges got their name. Similarly about Te Henga, also Oneill's bay and Bethells Beach Geography ; don't just read about it; see, feel, hear, touch and smell it. Bethells boogie is a full sensory aquatic experience, a west coast journey through cultural history and Bethells Beach Geology .
Specifically a one-of-a-kind Boogie boarding NZ west coast unique ocean adventure experience, therefore only working when the calm Auckland swell allows us to surf. Most importantly this four hour Bethells Boogie water based tour is ever more adventurous because you will only know when we are running it no more than seven days in advance. To find out when this adult and kids water activity goes, keep an eye on our website. Follow our social media and subscribe to our newsletter to secure your place on Bethells Boogie!
Not sea kayaking, sandboarding, neither caving nor surfing
That is to say our coastal Te Henga (Bethells Beach) tour takes the best of above both, mixed in this magnificent existential Boogie boarding experience. Body boarding, or prone riding, is a proven water based art form with many Health benefits of body boarding . For many, bodyboarding is the supreme wave riding sport. Body boarding fanatics might say that their sport preceded surfing as an ancient outdoor activity. And for a few Aucklanders, boogie boarding is just an easier way to get into the west coast waves at family friendly beaches while gaining all the Fitness features of boogie boarding . Likewise, Bethells Beach Body Boarding is a good water activity for kids and adults becasue bodyboards are tougher than surfboards. It's in their core. Therefore, boogie boards are stiff and flexible at the same time. Finally, Paipo boards are older than surfboards. Bodyboards evolved from paipo boards, the wooden planks date back to 2,000 BC.
Auckland experience not found anywhere
Moreover on the Bethells Beach Body Boarding tour, you will go through rock chasms while gazing over the Tasman sea and South Pacific Ocean. Bend your neck up 30m high cave walls, surf waves and admire crabs and starfish from a distance. During Te Henga (Bethells Beach) tours we sometimes have coastal visits from Little Blue Penguins or hear spooky cave echoes then realise it was just splashing water. Also we flipper 2km in distance and later see rocks 'welded' together. This adults and kids water activity explores west coast sea caves with plentiful life on their walls and floors. Discover anemones, starfish, sponges and Kelp forests.
Boogie Boarding at Bethells Beach
This is a beginner family-friendly Auckland tour, an adult and kids water activity, with no surfing experience required. In fact our wetsuits, boogie boards and even flippers, were custom-made especially for the Bethells Beach Body Boarding tour. Swimming in our blue/green caves is an experience not easily put into words. Let turquoise natural pools wow you, unique rock formations amaze, and the sun rays cracking through cave openings inspire.
Te Henga (Bethells Beach) has a rugged west coast volcanic coastline covered in lush native bush and rich in Culture and history of Bethells Beach . See spectacular sea caves (and let us tell you about the On set filming locations at Bethells Beach ), twisting tectonic tubes, towering volcanic arches and seasonal wildlife making it a water based Bethells Beach must do. But don't worry, there are still Facilities at Bethells Beach
Check out our booking tab, click the book now button or fill an enquiry here.
Duration: half day / 4hrs
Itineraries
First hour
Meet at Bethells Beach Carpark, get kitted up, walk to the ocean, Health and Safety talk, techniques and skills, stories, history, oceanography.
Second and third hour
Begin our tour, easing into the caves and ocean, exploring cave passages, going on our journey and taking rests along the way, surfing back to shore.
Last hour
Laughs, stories, high fives, debrief, share learnings, walk back to carpark, clean gear, unpack, undress, farewell.
“Boogie” is a reference to boogieing on water, associated with a style of Jazz called “boogie-woogie”, popularized in the 1920's. The first boogie board was made from foam and newspaper. That first model was named S.N.A.K.E. An acronym for side, navel, arm, knee, and elbow; parts of the body used to ride boogie boards. The boogie board was invented in 1971 by Jazz-fan Tom Morey in Hawaii inspired after a Baha’i prayer.
With great boogie board popularity in the 1970's, Tom Morey's boogie board license was sold to large manufacturers. Boogie Board is a brand name and once it was trademarked other companies were forced to market their versions as ‘bodyboards’, only changing the design slightly. And that is it; subtle difference only in design will determine if your body has boarded a wave or if you boogie your board on the waves. Both mean riding a foam board on your stomach on waves at the beach.
Colder but not cold because of the Auckland climate and our warm wetsuits. We take people out in Winter and they never complain. We are always moving our legs which produce up to 70% of one’s body heat!
Yes they exist but there has never been a shark attack at Bethells Beach, ever. They also stay away from rocks and reefs where we will be and they are deterred by bright colours which is all of our equipment.
We still go out and people love it just as much with or without waves.
The West Coast deserves respect, so we have meticulously designed this tour to only operate under conservative thresholds and conditions.
That means low and small waves with ideal and weak winds.
Our trained and experienced staff, high visibility quality gear, many emergency items, motorised rescue board, and much more, mean you are in safe company.
About two hours. The whole tour takes about four hours, from hello to goodbye.
Sorry, but like many adventure activities, to keep you save and happy we have to ensure you are able to participate safely, so we will advise you to come back when ready.
However, if you can assure us you can swim 100meters in 2minutes and tread water for 1minute then you can turn up.
On the tour, we then verify your swimming ability by running you through a relatively simple and easy swim test to see you in action.
All of those questions are fine and doable. We can run tours for almost everyone, provided you meet our age and ability criteria.
It's OK, we ease into everything, never overwhelming you in one go, and at any point we can get you back to shore ASAP!
The best place to boogie board in New Zealand is Bethells Beach on our Bethells Boogie tour that involves more than simply body boarding.
Boogie boarding is a fun sport that people of all ages enjoy.
Not at all! Some call themselves the "Board Stiffs": a group of bodyboarding retirees.
Many think retirement is the professional penultimate, but for some it is beginning a new chapter in lifes book.
Retired, boogie boarding and loving living through fun and adventure while keeping active.
As a bodyboard guide; select a bodyboard which sits level with your belly button when standing. When on the water, your knees should be on the stern end of the board while your chin should be on the bow board end.
We select the best staff for the job based on their skills, knolwedge and experiences. They will be an SNM staff member or we will bring in support from equally competent contractors. Sometimes we also bring in (semi)celebrity guests!
Clothing
- Togs,
- Towel.
Equipment
- Personal medication
- Water bottle,
- Sandals/crocs.
Other
- Food.
Bethells Boogie includes
Boogie Board with leash
Fins / flippers
Life jacket
Helmet
Warm wetsuit
Tour Excludes
Transport
