The Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway, north of the township, is 4.5 kilometres long walk to Paepae-o-Tū / Bream Tail, and has a lookout point.

[6] The Mangawhai Harbour is a part of the rohe of Te Uri-o-Hau, a tribal group either seen as an independent iwi, or as a hapū of Ngāti Whātua.

[7] Te Whai had a fortified pā at Mangawhai Point, a central headland in the harbour.

[7] Mangawhai Museum, opened in 2014,[8] features displays on the area's local history.

[9][10] A new subdivision called The Rise or Mangawhai North is planned northwest of the existing settlement.