Events
Opunake Beach
Opunake is a very popular beach with the local community. The beach can be dangerous in any size swell due to the southerly drift and the large rip at the southern end of the beach which pumps a lot of water out beyond the surf zone. There are some large holes always present at the beach. Opunake Beach has good facilities for beach goers and a motor camp situated only 50 metres from the beach. Opunake Surf Life Saving Club patrol weekends and public holidays during the summer months and there are also professional Lifeguards working during the school holidays.
Ratings
Activities and facilities
Activities
- Canoeing/kayaking
- Shell fish gathering
- Wind/kite surfing
- Wind-powered vehicles
Facilities
- Car parking
- Food and beverage kiosk
- Playground
- Public toilets
Safety
The beach is our favourite playground, but it can also be a dangerous place. Learn about the hazards at Opunake Beach and be prepared so you and your family can enjoy the sun, sea and sand safely this summer.
Hazards
Patrols
Stay safe - swim beween the flags.
Forecast provided by SwellMap.com
Tides
Safety at Opunake Beach
We want you to have a great time whilst visiting Opunake Beach. But take a moment to learn more about being safe on New Zealand Beaches. More ►
Patrolled Beach
Stay safe - swim beween the flags.
Patrol Hours
Opunake Beach is patrolled on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am to 4:30pm between 23 November 2019 and 9 March 2020. A Regional Lifeguard Service is provided Monday to Friday from 11:00am to 5:30pm during 16 December 2019 to 24 January 2020.
Hazards
Click a safety symbol for more information on the risk
4 simple rules to keep you safe
We want you to have a great time whilst visiting Opunake Beach. But take a moment to learn more about being safe on New Zealand beaches and looking out for each other. More ►
The Water Safety Code:
- Be prepared
- Watch out for yourself and others
- Be aware of the dangers
- Know your limits
Location
Opunake Beach is located 500 metres west of Opunake township. Opunake Beach is a small bay and the beach is 500 metres long. There are long cliff headlands to each end of the bay. These cliffs extend around the back of the bay with a large reserve behind the beach before the cliffs. The beach is golden sand and has a very large low tide terrace. The Opunake Surf Life Saving Club is located centrally on top of the foredune.
Public Transport
Sorry, we have no public transport information available for this beach.
Beach Water Quality
The Overall Recreation Risk is a guide to give a general picture of water quality at a site. Updated annually, it is calculated from bacteria (enterococci) data collected over the last three years. The Overall Recreation Risk indicator is a precautionary approach to managing health risk and is not designed to represent health risk on a particular day. As such, a site can have an Overall Recreation Risk of ‘Caution’ but still be suitable for swimming some of the time.
Overall recreation risk
The long term risk status based on three years of data
- Less than 1% risk of illness
Many councils also provide the results of their weekly monitoring. This lets people know what the most recent bacteria levels were. Remember, even sites with low risk can be unsuitable to swim at from time to time and we recommend that you avoid swimming for 48 hours after heavy rainfall.
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