Tawharanui is a coastal marine-reserve dive stretching from the surf beach to Takatu Point, with a shallow rocky platform, kelp, and sponge growth over a temperate reef edge. When the sea is calm, it rewards careful shore access with rays, snapper, kingfish, flounder, goatfish, and crayfish along the sheltered sections. The site is best treated as a weather-dependent reserve dive rather than an everyday easy shore entry, because surf, swell, and wind can change the experience quickly.