The Whakatāne District in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is one of the most diversely beautiful areas in New Zealand, with sandy beaches along 54 km of coastline, fertile lowlands and farming areas, and a massive forested area to the south.
Whakatāne enjoys a temperate climate and records some of New Zealand's highest sunshine hours every year. Whakatāne was New Zealand's Sunshine Capital in 2010, 2012 and 2013, and the North Island's Sunniest Place in 2011.
The district has moderate temperatures year-round, with summer temperatures from 25-28 C, and winter seldom falling below 11 C. Whakatāne records the highest temperature in New Zealand about 55 days of each year.
In 2013, Ōhope Beach was voted ‘New Zealand’s Best Beach’ in an online poll initiated by the Green Party, which attracted more than 18,000 votes. In 2014, Ohope was named NZ's Most Loved Beach in an online poll run by the Automobile Association. Sunshine and beaches make a great holiday destination, and generations of New Zealanders have treasured Ōhope as a favourite holiday spot. Tourism is an important growth industry here; the population in parts of the district triples in summer.
32,691 people lived in Whakatāne District in 2013, and 17,931 of them lived in the Whakatāne Urban Area -- about 55 percent of the District's population.
