Muriwai Beach, New Zealand

The world is full of hidden beaches, but discovering them before the masses do can be challenging.

Shhh ... we're letting the cat out of bag on a few of our favorite global destinations for relatively untracked sand and surf.

And while that's not to say you'll have these beaches all to yourself, it's a good bet you'll be among mostly locals - and a handful of intrepid travelers savvy enough to put these gems on their beach-hopping agendas.

For an even keener local look at the Kiwi surf lifestyle, make the half-hour drive west of Auckland to Muriwai Beach.

For most tourists arriving in Auckland, Piha Beach is the logical location for a first glimpse of New Zealand's pristine North Island coastline.

The oceanfront here is beautifully rugged, with black sand beaches, pounding surf and rocky headlands where you can forage for New Zealand's famed green lip mussels at low tide.

Surfers love Maori Bay - around the headland from the main beach - for its consistent beach break, and the fact that the horseshoe stretch of sand here is sheltered in a cove, making it a nice place to toss down a towel for the day.

A rocky outcropping between the bay and the beach is home to New Zealand's largest onshore gannet (sea birds) colony.