Five beaches to hit this summer (and what to wear while you’re there)

Glancing outside, you may feel like summer is never going to arrive. Despite being greeted by grey skies, we’re eagerly anticipating sunny weather and long beach days which are (hopefully) just around the corner.

Until then, we’ll be scoping out the best beaches to escape to this season, and what we plan on wearing while we’re there. Moontide’s newest swimwear offering features the freshest swimsuits and Kimonos to suit every pool party and seaside soiree this summer. 

While we pray the days away until the warmer weather graces us with its presence, we've mapped out a few of our favourite summer spots and the swimwear to suit: 

An hour-and-a-half out of Auckland, Mangawhai Heads has always been a popular summer holiday destination. The beach can sometimes be rough for swimming, however, so head around to Picnic Bay on the estuary side to enjoy a spot of paddle-boarding on calmer water. This Moontide one-piece featuring a playful jungle print strikes the perfect balance between practical cover-up and fashion-forward for a day of SUP-ing. 

Takapuna Beach is a perfect strip of white sand on Auckland's North Shore, with stellar views out to Rangitoto Island. The beach backs onto a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants, so slip into an oversized, tasselled Kimono from Moontide to take your look from beach to bar. 

It's wild and untamed but who doesn't love a day trip to Muriwai on the West Coast? With plenty of coastline to explore, as well as a variety of nearby vineyards and breweries to relax at after your adventure, no summer is complete without a day spent 'out West'. Swimming at Muriwai often results in a MIA bikini top, so cover up in the Santorini one-piece from Moontide. It even has long sleeves. Tres surfer-chic.

Just out of Auckland (45 minutes to be exact) is Wenderholm, a beach and regional park with an idyllic estuary for picnicking alongside. Pick a private sunbathing spot and get your tan on in a teeny, tiny, paisley-print bikini from Moontide - just don't forget the SPF 30+! Criss-crossed tan lines are not cute. On anyone. 

Auckland is lucky to have its own inner-city beach: Mission Bay! It gets super busy in the summer so get there early to nab a good spot. Spoilt for choice with restaurants, bars, cafes and ice cream vendors, Mission Bay is the perfect beach-day option for city dwellers who don't want to travel far. Because of its chic city location, a geometric print swimsuit from Moontide - choose from one of the bikinis or a more covered-up style. 

Summer dreaming yet? We are! Now is the best time to get your summer swimwear wardrobe up-to-date, so get shopping - and start planning your beach weekends!

Check out Moontide.com to get your fix of this summer's swimwear collection.