Ahipara is a town and locality in Northland, New Zealand at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach, with the Tauroa Peninsula to the west and Herekino Forest to the east.
That name originated when the chief Tohe ordered a slave to measure the distance the tide had receded, by counting the number of arm-spans from the high water level.
Digging peaked at Ahipara in the 1920s and 1930s, and the area was one of the last places in New Zealand where kauri gum was dug on a widescale.
[7] Ahipara Bay was once well known for its toheroa shellfish, but gathering these is restricted due to their near-extinction.
[8] In February 2019, a fire occurred early morning in Ahipara near Shipwreck Bay (Te Kohanga).
The results were 59.0% European (Pākehā), 61.8% Māori, 7.1% Pasifika, 2.1% Asian, and 0.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".
[14] Ahipara is located within the rohe (tribal area) of Te Rarawa, and has strong affiliations to the iwi.
Shipwreck Bay has been reported as one of the best left hand surf breaks in the world.