[5] It is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the town of Warkworth, and adjacent to the settlements of Sandspit and Algies Bay.

Important seagrass meadows are present on the shallow tidal ecosystem at Snells Beach.

[10] Mahurangi peoples primarily focused settlement along the shores of the Hauraki Gulf,[11][12] moving between different kāinga based on available seasonal resources.

[15][12] Archaeological middens and terraces have been discovered in the areas adjacent to the north and south headlands of Snells Beach.

[15] By the mid-1700s, Marutūāhu tribes from the Hauraki Gulf, especially Ngāti Pāoa, sought to control the shark fishery located on the Mahurangi coast, between Kawau Island and the Whangaparāoa Peninsula.

[10] Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the Crown made the first purchases of the Mahurangi and Omaha blocks on 13 April 1841.

It was bought in 1854 by Cornish miner James Snell, who had initially settled at Kawau Island after first working at mines in South Australia.

Scottish immigrant Alexander Algie and wife Mina, née Deerness, bought the land to the south at Martins Bay, where his brother Samuel settled in 1867.

[14] In 1904, J. Clayden and J. Parkinson discovered a large amount of kauri gum at Snells Beach, extracting seven tons during low tide.

[20] In 2012, the Snells Beach library was marked for closure, leaving many residents bewildered and angry.

[23] The 2.5 kilometre long tidal sandy beach, which attracts a variety of shorebirds, is popular for kite surfing, paddle boarding, swimming, fishing, and dog walking.

The Mahurangi Shopping Centre includes cafés, retail stores, public toilets, Wifi facilities, and overnight parking for motorhomes.

Snells Beach contains the Rodney District’s regional television broadcaster: Family TV.