Being a coastal city in New Zealand’s South Island Dunedin is close to many beaches along its coastline and around Otago Harbour that offer beautiful scenery and great spots to spend hot summer days. Some beaches are also well known surf spots offering great breaks. However the biggest plus point is their easy accessibility from the city centre.
St Clair Beach is the most popular city beach. Its popularity is not only due to the swells of up to two meters that attract surfers but due to a spate of public facilities that has made it safer and entertaining for the entire family. A refurbished hot saltwater public pool among natural rocks on the beach with a paddling pool for toddlers, a grassy play area, regular surf patrols, a surf school, refurbished changing rooms, facilities for the disabled and a promenade with plenty of places to buy food and drink endears it to the public. Surf patrols also operate at St Kilda’s Beach all summer long making it safe for young families and surfers.
Tunnel Beach with amazing views from the cliff top is another popular stretch of beach along the Otago coastline just five mile from Dunedin. Approached across farmland, a manmade tunnel leads directly onto the sandstone boulder strewn beach which is accessible only at low tide.
Brighton is a small seaside town twenty km south of Dunedin. Located on a bay it offers a broad sweep of sand and calm waters making it a popular place to swim, surf and to spend a fun day out with the family. Surf patrols operate in summer ensuring safety of swimmers and surfers. Its excellent public facilities include plenty of parking, changing areas and grassy play areas. Since it is only a half hours drive from the city it is popular with day trippers in summer. The town also hosts an annual summer festival in January and a veteran car rally.
Long Beach and Purakanui is where local residents have holiday homes. Just half an hour’s drive on the coastal road they are both near enough to pop over on when anyone feels the need for a break. Long Beach with its 2.4 km broad stretch of white sand within a bay is considered safe for swimming and is filled with picnicking families in summer. Long Beach is also a wildlife hot spot as it is frequented by blue penguins, seals, terns, herons, ducks and spoonbills among other species. Rock climbing cliffs and caves at the western end of the beach attract adventurous types.
With an extensive spread of hotels located in almost all the important scenic and business locations throughout the country Millennium & Copthorne Hotels NZ offers a range of comfortable accommodation in the best city locations that fulfils the accommodation needs of a range of travellers. As a premier hospitality partner these New Zealand hotels offer a spate of excellent packages for every season to suit every type of budget. The group’s Dunedin hotels offer one of the best locations providing easy access to all city attractions.
