Castlecliff Beach

This beach is well suited for families, make sure your family is prepared for the beach conditions, the beach is patrolled by Surf Lifeguards during the summer months.

Behind Castlecliff beach there is large residential area and this forms the base for beachgoers. The beach is exposed to swell and can be very dangerous for swimming if waves are over one metre in size. Wanganui Surf Life Saving Club patrol Castlecliff beach during weekends over the summer months and full time over the primary school summer holidays. Swimmers should follow instructions from the lifeguards who know the beach and its hazards. Castlecliff beach has many rips and holes along its shore. There is generally a safe swimming area directly in front of the Surf Life Saving Club with rips and holes to either side of this sand bar. Beyond the first sand bar there is a longshore trough that runs the length of the beach and beyond this is a second bar. Swimmers need to be careful of the rivermouth at the southern end and also the changes in the beach between high and low tide.

Surfing at Castlecliff's main beach is not popular. Waves close out on the outer bar and then flatten out before breaking on the inner sand bar. Surfers still use the beach but surfing is much more common one kilometre to the south at the north mole where there is a good beach break that is surfable on all tides. There is a good left hand wave in the rivermouth that breaks well in large onshore swells. It is only advisable to surf this wave on an incoming tide, as the current is very strong and dangerous on an outgoing tide.

Castlecliff beach is good for surfcasting on any tide and casts can reach good areas of deep water. One kilometre to the south on the north mole of the Wanganui Rivermouth is very popular for fishing and will usually have numerous people fishing from it. The north mole is best fished on an incoming tide and is recognised as one of the best red-cod spots in New Zealand during winter. Fishermen need to be very careful when fishing off the north mole and it is not advised during large swells.