Tunnel Beach and the Otago Peninsula

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Day 25: Oamaru - Tunnel Beach and the Otago Peninsula - Lake Pukaki - Lake Tekapo

Tunnel Beach and the Otago Peninsula It is our planning today, after visiting Moeraki Boulders yesterday and making the route through Los Catlins and Southland, which we started two days ago.

We say goodbye to the Oamaru Harbor Tourist Park, our accommodation in Oamaru tonight, with a bad weather forecast and rains that will last two or three days, because we decided to make this route that includes Tunnel Beach and the Otago Peninsula calmly and as the weather evolves, decide where we base to work these days in bad weather.
This is something that, as we have said in several moments of the trip to New Zealand in 36 days, is possible thanks to traveling with the Jucy motorhome, which allows us to change plans according to our needs and adapt them especially, at the same time.
Remember that if you are interested in making a route through New Zealand by motorhome, we recommend you look at the Motorhome Republic page where you can see all the available motorhome options, prices and make the reservation directly.


And so, valuing the main factor that affects us these days and that is the sun, we decided that the first stop we will make will be Tunnel Beach, 120 kilometers and an hour and a half away, to ensure the little sun we have now.
As soon as we arrive we leave the car in the parking lot enabled for it and we travel the path of about 30 minutes one way, which takes us to one of the most beautiful rock formations we have seen and which is probably another place to see in New Zealand essential.

Tunnel Beach in New Zealand

Known for its spectacular rocky landscapes, cut by the force of the wind and the Pacific Ocean, Tunnel Beach is one of the most visited places in this area of ​​New Zealand.
Its name comes from when Cargill made a tunnel in one of the rocks, so that he can go with his family to the beach that is just on the other side, to make his weekend picnics.

Tunnel Beach in New Zealand

Keep in mind that the path you will have to travel to get to the most famous rock formation is about 20 minutes one way, everything is down and about 30-45 minutes round, since although it is done by the same place, in this Case is all up.
There are no services along the way or once in the part of the rock formation or the beach, so depending on the time you come, it may be very advisable to take something like Cargill, have a picnic.

Tunnel Beach Trail

In case you do not want to do the trail, something that on the other hand we highly recommend you do, from the first part you can have a pretty good perspective of Tunnel Beach.
In addition, part of the walk is done through a private land, something usual in New Zealand in this type of places and this remains closed in August, September and October, as it is the time for sheep breeding.

Tunnel Beach

In case you want to go down to the beach, you must go down the stairs of the famous tunnel, always taking into account that it is not advisable to bathe by the currents and that in addition, it is preferable to do it at low tide although this does not affect at any time to Make the visit or see the views.

Tunnel Beach

After the visit to Tunnel Beach, in which we are practically 2 hours, between the route and the time we spend in the area of ​​the rock formations, it is almost 1 noon when it starts to drizzle and this together with the bad forecast of the time, makes us change the plans and cancel the route we had planned for the Otago Peninsula, deciding that it is best to get on the way to Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo, which are the goals of the next few days.

If you have good weather and can take advantage of this day or spend near the Otago Peninsula, we leave you a selection of the points that we had aimed to visit and that we believe, are the most important and representative of this area of ​​the country.

More practical information to prepare your trip to New Zealand

- 10 essential tips for traveling to New Zealand
- 10 essential places to see in New Zealand
- The best travel insurance for New Zealand

What to see in the Otago Peninsula

With a very good accessibility from Dunedin, the Otago Peninsula has one of the most important fauna densities in this area of ​​New Zealand, being relatively easy sighting of albatrosses, sea lions and penguins.

Among the most important points that can be visited we would highlight:
- Royal Albatros: This place is located at the northern end of the Otago Peninsula and is the place where you can see the only colony of royal albatross on the mainland.
Although access to the area is paid, so we have read, if you stop before the entrance, you can see albatross very easily and without paying.

- Sandfly Bay: the main reason to go to this beach is the possibility, although remote, of seeing penguins at sunrise and sunset.

We leave you a map with the locations of the places that we have recommended you to see in the Otago Peninsula in addition to Tunnel Beach.

From Tunnel Beach we start the journey to Lake Pukaki, which leads us back to pass through Oamaru, traveling almost 300 kilometers in 3 and a half hours surrounded by landscapes that show us again the great immensity of New Zealand and the reasons why this , is one of the most incredible countries in the world.

We arrive at the Visitor Center of Lake Pukaki when it is almost 5 in the afternoon and considering the time and that we have already decided that we will visit this area during the next few days, we make a technical stop to taste a great salmon sashimi that they sell In the visitor center for 10NZD the small box and 35NZD the half kilo box, which brings us back to life in front of a wonderful view, which will become one of our favorites of the trip.

Sashimi on Lake Pukaki

And so, after this stop and now with a gray sky that does not cast high hopes, we go to Lake Tekapo 40 kilometers from Lake Pukaki, to Lake Tekapo Holiday Park, accommodation at Lake Tekapo, where we will stay for 30NZD per person on site with electricity and views of the lake and that will serve us as office the following days.

Views from the Tekapo Lake campsite

Although, as we mentioned earlier, today's route has not had a logical sense, due to the weather and wanting to see everything possible with sunshine, we have made the same route several times.
The logical sense would have been: yesterday to visit the Otago Peninsula with Dunedin, today to have visited Tunnel Beach and Moeraki Boulders and to have slept in Omaru, for example, to tomorrow follow the route to Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo.

Day 26: What to see and do on Lake Tekapo

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Video: Neuseeland VLOG 4 - Otago Peninsula. Dunedin. Tunnel Beach Walk. Sandfly Bay. Nugget Point (March 2024).