Pukatea / Whites Bay is an attractive sheltered bay and the best beach on Port Underwood Road. It is also the best swimming beach in the region, making it popular with locals. The beach is an 8 km spectacular drive from Rarangi along Port Underwood Road. Access to the beach and campsite is signposted on the road.
The main DOC camping area is on your left as you drive along the access road. It is set amongst regenerating forests on steep-sided hills and is one of the prettiest campsites in the region. If you are a day visitor, continue to the car park at the end of the road. It is a short walk to the sandy, safe swimming beach. To the right is a point you can scramble up with some care.
The bay was named for an American known as Black Jack White. Jack deserted his whaling ship in 1828 to live with local Māori. In 1866, the bay was the connection point for a north-south telegraph cable. It is a short walk to the historic cable station.
There are several other sign-posted walking options from the bay. These include the Black Jack Track, which can be done as a loop to the north, with outstanding views (90 minutes), and a 1-hour walk to Rarangi, which includes a 500-metre section on the most spectacular part of Port Underwood Road.
You can also take the Black Jack Track up to Port Underwood Road, then cross the road to join the Mount Robertson Loop Track. This is a full-day trip with a side track to the 1,036-metre peak of Tokomaru / Mount Roberston. You can also start these tracks from Port Underwood Road or the Pukaka Valley at the end of Pukaka Road, reducing the climb by 200 metres and the time by a couple of hours. The Mount Robertson tracks are shared with mountain bikers.