Opunake is a small town on the southwest coast of Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island. It is located 45 kilometres southwest of New Plymouth. Rahotu is 16 km to the northwest. Manaia is 29 km to the southeast. State Highway 45 passes through the town.The town has a population of 1,410 (June 2014 estimate). Opunake is the westernmost town in the North Island with a population of at least 1,000.The town was settled in the 1880s.