Discovering Smaills Beach
Smaills Beach is located on the southeast end of the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin, accessible via Tomahawk Road. This surf beach is a must-visit for its striking white sands and the chance to spot local wildlife, including pakake (sea lions) and penguins at dawn and dusk.
Exploring the Surrounding Area
As you drive through Ocean Grove and past Tomahawk Beach, make sure to stop at the viewpoints perched high above the cliffs. Here, you can explore old World War II gun emplacements that have been transformed into public art installations. These sites also feature informal graffiti and provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Enjoying Smaills Beach
Once you reach the beach access and car park, it's just a short walk through the dunes and scrub to the beach itself. Smaills Beach is about 800 metres long and a classic Dunedin Pacific Coast surf beach with beautiful white sand. However, be cautious of the ocean rips, which make swimming dangerous. If you must swim, stick to an incoming tide.
As the tide retreats, you can explore the rocky headland to the east, while it's an easy walk west to Tomahawk Beach. You may also see the occasional nudist.
Getting to Smaills Beach
To reach Smaills Beach, drive east along Tomahawk Road from St Kilda. Pass through Ocean Grove and continue past Tomahawk Beach until you arrive at the beach access and car park. From there, it's a brief walk to the beach. The drive is only 6 minutes from St Kilda and 15 minutes from central Dunedin.
Other Pacific Coast beaches around Dunedin include Brighton, Ocean View, St Kilda and St Clair, and Sandfly Bay and Allans Beach on Otago Peninsula.
