Between 1 km and 3 km west of Te Araroa, closely spaced gravel beach ridges extend 2·3 km inland. Dated shell samples show a consistent progradation rate of 0·48m/yr for the first 320 m. Projection inland suggests an age of 3850 years for the oldest ridge, which compares with 3900 years for the oldest ridge in the more stable region of the Firth of Thames. Comparison of the Te Araroa and Firth of Thames beach-ridge systems suggests an uplift rate of 1·5 mm/yr for the Te Araroa region. This rate is comparable with other known rates of crustal uplift along the east coast of the North Island.