Overview
Wellington is well known for its windy city. It is also the capital and second-biggest city in New Zealand. When the seaside calls, you don’t have to go far to locate wonderful beaches in Wellington. Wellington beaches are popular all over New Zealand. There are beaches in Wellington to serve you, whether you’re seeking for a swimming beach in the summer or gorgeous scenery to immerse yourself in. Not only are there beaches within walking distance of the city center, but there are also a couple exceptional beaches in the vicinity that are well worth the drive.
Top 10 Surfer Wellington Beaches
If you have made plans to extend your journey, here are things you can do on the Auckland to Wellington Road Trip: Must-See Stops in North Island 2023. There are many famous places, such as hikes, falls, hills, historical towns, and monuments, that come in many stops on this trip.
So grab your items for summer and head to Wellington’s stunning beaches. If you think you want to try Thai cuisine in Wellington, then there are many famous restaurants available in that area. You may want to try the best dishes in the city; therefore, check out our Top 5 Thai Restaurants in capital city, Wellington 2023.
Table of Contents
Princess Bay Beach
Princess Bay is one of the famous surfing Wellington beaches in Wellington City and is 8.5 km away from the city. Many tourists all across New Zealand come to explore this place once a year. Not only for summer life, this place is also popular for sight-seeing and marine life. It is situated on the south coast, near Houghton Bay and the Esplanade. You can reach there by Queens Drive, taking the No. 3 bus to Hungerford Road, then walking along the coast, or the No. 23 bus to Houghton Bay and a 5-minute walk. It is suitable for short walks and swimming. The enormous rocky point near the shore is an excellent location for exploring rock pools.
Princess Bay offers a protected sandy beach and is a famous summer swimming destination. It boasts wonderful views of Taputeranga Island and is nestled between the headland of Houghton Bay and Te Raekaihau Point. On a clear day, the peaks of the Kaikoura Range in the South Island can be seen. The bay is part of the Taputeranga Marine Reserve, which attempts to restore natural marine habitats and boost the size of fish and their quality.
Scorching Bay Beach
Scorching Bay is one of the Wellington beaches famous for swimmers and sight-seeing. It is 10.1 km away from the heart of the city. Scorching Bay Beach is located on the Miramar Peninsula in Karaka Bay, Wellington. This popular sandy inner-harbor bathing beach is shielded from the northerly breeze and has a wide grassed area. It’s a terrific spot to soak up the rays and watch ships approach and exit the harbor. This place is mostly suitable for swimming, but some people also go surfing when the tide is high. This place also provides parking as well as toilets and changing facilities. Note that pets, like dogs and cats, are not allowed on this beach.
Native plants under pohutukawa trees, surrounding houses, and along the roadside are examples of landscaping efforts. A rope-climbing structure at the playground and a popular cafe are close. A route from the turnaround area across the road rises up into the regenerating bush.
Lyall Bay Beach
Lyall Bay is one of the most popular surf spots on Wellington Beach. Lyall bay is 6.8 km away from the Wellington city. It is home to two surf lifesaving organizations and several surf-related activities. There is also a playground in Lyall Bay. It is located on the South coast of Lyall Bay, in the Lyall Bay Parade of Wellington. This place is most popular for swimming, walking, picnics, surfing, dog walking windsurfing, kayaking and kitesurfing
Dorrie Leslie Park on the western side of the bay is a short walk from the beach, and a coastal path beyond the airport at Moa Point connects to Tarakena Bay and the Eastern path. The Maranui Surf Life Saving Club building has a popular cafe upstairs.
Oriental Bay Wellington Beach
This is most popular wellington beach situated in the heart of city which is only 1.8 km away from the central. Oriental Bay is located in Inner harbor of Oriental Parade. This bay gives the parking Parking, Toilets and changing facilities. Wheel chair is also in this beach.
Red Rocks Beach
Red Rocks Beach is around 11.4 km away from the CBD, if you take Great Harbour Way. This famous coastal trail follows the South Coast’s rough shoreline around to Red Rocks on Te Kopahou Reserve. You’ll see some magnificent vistas, discover unique rock formations, and have the opportunity to witness a colony of fur seals in their natural habitat during the winter months whether you’re on foot, riding your bike, or out for a day of recreational four-wheel drive.
Try to get lucky on a Sunday; the path is closed to automobiles from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., making for an even more peaceful experience. Dogs must be kept on leashes at all times. Dogs should be kept at least 20 meters away from animals. Red Rocks Beach also gives facility of parking, toilet and changing facilities.
Paraparaumu Beach
Paraparaumu is one of the Wellington beaches which is 55.8 km away from the capital city. Paraparaumu Beach is a seaside town on New Zealand’s North Island’s Kapiti Coast. This place has a view of Kapiti Island. Paraparaumu Beach is a famous sandy beach for swimmers and hikers.
Its short gradient makes it safe under most situations, although it may be problematic in huge north to northwest swells. Maclean Park has restrooms, as well as parking and a playground. Vehicles may access the beach to park, launch, or recover a vessel from the sea as long as they take the shortest feasible path.
This location is monitored as part of the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Recreational Water Quality Monitoring Programme, which was created to inform the public about the appropriateness of different places in the area for swimming and other recreational activities.
Castlepoint
Castle point is 176 Km away from the CBD which is rough 2 hours and 37 minutes drive. Castlepoint has been stated one of the top ten most popular beaches in the country. It’s about an hour from Masterton and offers swimming, surfing, walking paths, and a rough east coast ambiance. Lighthouse was first lighted in 1913 and is one of New Zealand’s last two surviving beam lighthouses. Step up and envision yourself as a lighthouse keeper – the last one retired in 1988.
This place is famous for-
- Go for fishing if you have any luck.
- Reach the Deliverance Path to reach Castle Rock.
- This place is also very popular for surfers as there is high tides most of the times.
- Visit ancient Tinui, the location of New Zealand’s first Anzac ceremony.
- Boating and swimming is also popular in the beach.
Petone Beach
Petone Beach, located on the northern side of Wellington Harbour, is a popular beach for strolling, sunbathing, shell collecting, and safe swimming in most locations. This is 12.5 km away from the central city that is around 21 minutes drive if you go via State Hwy 2. During the summer, Petone Beach is maintained and safe for swimming in most areas. This beach is also know as wellington beach. This location has restrooms, change facilities, a park, and lots of parking.
There is no patrol, so please keep an eye on your youngsters. From Labor Day through Easter, a swimming raft is tethered off Oriental Street. The Lions Park playground, as well as the Lions Park Model Railway, are popular with children of all ages on Sundays between 1pm and 4pm in clear weather.
Plimmerton Beach
Plimmerton Beach is 26 km away from wellington city. This wellington beach is renown for swimming, surfing and walking. This beach, just a short walk from the Plimmerton train station, is highly popular in the summer and for those seeking peace and tranquility.
Swimming (especially for families with small children), windsurfing (with a specialized area at the southern end), strolling the length of the beach while watching the sunset, and eating fish and chips from the local chippy are all popular activities.
Makara Beach
This wellington beach is also called Makara beach which is 17.3 km away from capital city, Wellington. It is at west coast which is suitable for swimming, diving and fishing. the stony beach also have large parking spaces, toilet and changing facilities.
The 6km Makara Walkway is maintained by the Department of Conservation begins at the coastline and follows the coast before beginning a steady ascent to the cliff tops, from where there are amazing views of Mana, Kapiti, and the South Island.
Attractions of this place are-
- Wellington beaches for surfing
- wellington beached for diving
- wellington beached for Swimming
FAQs
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Why the capital city is called Wellington beaches?
Wellington is surrounded by ocean from all sides and most of the popular beaches are lies in near by city.
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Is there a beach in Wellington, New Zealand?
Wellington city is gifted with several beautiful beaches as there are more than 10 wellington beaches in the city.
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Is Wellington a coastal area?
The Wellington Coastal sea region spans more than 500 kilometers and extends twelve nautical miles offshore, supporting a diverse range of coastal ecosystems such as estuaries, dunes, rocky reefs, underwater mountains, biogenic reefs, and methane seeps.