Snells Beach is a small town in the north of Auckland Region

Auckland Region

The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...

 in the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is situated on the eastern coast of the Mahurangi Peninsula and its namesake beach

Beach

A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...

 faces east across Kawau Bay to Kawau Island

Kawau Island

Kawau Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. At its closest point it lies off the coast of the North Auckland Peninsula, just south of Tawharanui Peninsula, and about by sea journey from Sandspit Wharf, and shelters Kawau Bay...

. The nearest town is Warkworth

Warkworth

Warkworth may refer to:*Warkworth, Northamptonshire, England*Warkworth, Northumberland, England* Warkworth Castle* Warkworth Hermitage*Warkworth, Ontario, Canada*Warkworth, New South Wales, Australia*Warkworth, New Zealand*John Warkworth...

, 8 km to the west.

The population was 3,234 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 177 from 2001.

The Mahurangi Peninsula was the setting for the 2001 New Zealand film Rain, starring Sarah Peirse

Sarah Peirse

Sarah Peirse is a New Zealand actress. She is a multi-award winning actor on screen and stage, best known for her portrayals of two very different mothers — the kind-hearted Honora Rieper in Heavenly Creatures, and the disaffected sophisticate in Rain....

 and Marton Csokas

Marton Csokas

-Early life:Csokas was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. His mother, a nurse, is of Irish and Danish descent; his Hungarian-born father, also named Márton Csókás, worked as a mechanical engineer...

.

Education

Snells Beach Primary is a coeducational contributing primary school catering for years 1-6. It opened in 2009. The initial roll is about 260, but it is expected to grow to eventually accommodate 500 students.

Mahurangi Christian School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating

Socio-Economic Decile

Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....

of 8 and a roll of 109. The school is state integrated.