Mokau is a small town on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, located at the mouth of the Mokau River on the North Taranaki Bight. Mokau lies just north of the boundary between Taranaki and Waikato (and consequently New Plymouth District and Waitomo District). Prior to 1989, the town was classed as being in Taranaki, and there is still a feeling that the community of interest is most associated with New Plymouth, 90 km to the southwest.State Highway 3 passes through the town on its route from Te Kuiti to Waitara and, eventually, New Plymouth.Mokau has a permanent population of about 400, but this swells to several thousand during the summer. Mokau is a popular location for whitebaiting and other fishing including for kahawai (mainly found at the river mouth) and snapper (which are found right along the coast in several spots).Mokau also has a couple of outstanding surf breaks that, in the right conditions, can produce waves of up to 6 ft (1.8m).