We took our visiting Wellington friends R & R to the Helena Bay Gallery today, north of Whangārei. On the way home we visited a few eastern beaches, including Matapōuri Bay, which was rather lovely.

A golden sand beach with gentle waves and a curve round to some small vegetation-covered hills.
A view across sea to several small islands in the distance with a small sailboat mid-photo. A headland is visible on the right.

Note: that's Sugarloaf Rock on the right, not Sail Rock (visible only from further south).