The Bluff Beach
Events
The Bluff Beach
The Bluff Beach is a popular spot with locals and tourists and on any given day you can expect to see a couple of tour buses parked up at Wakatehaua Island and numerous locals and visitors to the region fishing from the rocks. Fishing is the most popular activity at the Bluff but the beach also sees its fair share of sightseers, surfers and swimmers. The Bluff is very exposed to swell with average wave height in the region of 1.5 metres. These powerful swells combine with strong rips, currents that are associated with Wakatehaua Island. The Bluff is a very dangerous beach and all users should be very cautious. There is no Lifeguarding Service.
Ratings
Activities and facilities
Activities
- Motorbikes/4WD's
Facilities
- Public toilets
Forecast provided by SwellMap.com
Tides
Safety at The Bluff Beach
We want you to have a great time whilst visiting The Bluff Beach. But take a moment to learn more about being safe on New Zealand Beaches. More ►
Unpatrolled Beach

Never swim or surf alone.
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 The Bluff 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
Bluff Beach is located 13 kilometres west of Te Kao, towards the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach. The beach is made up of golden sand and Wakatehaua Island is attached to the beach by a large sand bar. Either side of the island there is a golden sand beach that can be driven along on lower tides. This beach is exposed to heavy seas and strong rips and currents form around the rocks. The beach is visited regularly by locals and tourists. On any given day there will usually be heavy traffic along the beach.
Public Transport
For NRC ‘Safe Beach Driving’ & WDC ‘Vehicles on Beaches’ bylaws information please visit:-
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.
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.
Add a comment
Tell us what you love about this beach and/or how you rate it for different activities
Comments