South IslandCoastal Otago

Walking and Trekking

The Walks Are Just the Start

Coastal Otago has some genuinely good walking, but what makes it special is that the tracks here tend to deliver wildlife and wild coastline in the same outing. Tunnel Beach is the standout near Dunedin. Instagram has found it, so go early or late if you want a quieter experience, and low tide gives you more room once you're down there. On the peninsula, Sandfly Bay gets the attention, but personally I lean toward Allans Beach. Fewer people, sea lions hanging around, and if you walk south you quickly feel like you have the whole coast to yourself.

Time It Right

Further up the coast, the Karitane loop walk is worth your time. It's a short, simple thing but it ties raw coastal scenery with a historic Maori Pa site, and high tide ups your chances of the blowholes firing. Same deal at Katiki Point near Moeraki. The lighthouse walk out there puts you right among fur seals, and if you time it between 4pm and 5:30pm you're in with a real shot at seeing Hoiho (Yellow-eyed Penguins) coming ashore. Less than 200 breeding pairs exist in the world and 50 of them live here. That's not a walk you forget quickly.

Walking and Trekking in Coastal Otago

Location

All Locations

Page 1 of 1 | 18 experiences ranked by score

18 items with the highest ranking score first

Penguin + Seal Viewing. Time: From 20 mins to 1 hour

Beach at Aramoana

Aramoana

Port Chalmers

4.9 2 reviews

Upto 4 km return | upto 1 hour return

Okia

5 km return | 1 hour 30 minutes return

A herd of elephants

4.7 12 reviews

500 m return | 15 minutes return

Dunes at Sandymount

2.5 km return | 1 hour return

Stunner!

4.6 30 reviews

2 km return | 1 hour return

4.5 3 reviews

Allans Beach from Sandymount

Sandymount Track

Lovers Leap and The Chasm

4.5 15 reviews

2.5 km return | 1 hour return

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Leith Saddle Track

Waitati Valley

4.4 1 review

Time: 3.5 hr return

Moeraki Boulders at sunrise

600 m return | 10 minutes return

Grahams Bush Track

Mount / Mt Cargill

4.1 3 reviews

Time: 2.5 hr return, Distance: 4 km

3.8 2 reviews

Flagstaff Walk

Whare Flat

Distance: 2 km

Entrance to Huriawa Pa

Huriawa Pa Walk

Karitane Beach

2.4 km return | 45 minutes return

Lighthouse at Katiki Point

1 km return | 20 minutes return

Time: 3 hr return, Distance: 12.5 km return

Hexagonal fluting

Organ Pipes: 2.8 km return | 40 minutes return Mount Cargill: 7 km return | 2 hour return

Time: 2 hr return, Distance: 5 km