Last updated October 2026
Long Beach is a small coastal settlement inside Dunedin City, set between Blueskin Bay and the mouth of the Otago Harbour. Dunedin City Council describes it as mostly holiday homes, with a quiet, out-of-the-way character rather than the services of an inner suburb.
The houses sit just inland of a sandy beach the council records as 2.4 kilometres long, held between coastal rock formations, with a large cave toward the northern end.
The drive from central Dunedin takes about 30 minutes, via Port Chalmers or Waitati, and there is no bus to the beach access. Pūrākaunui lies nearby and shares the same hill-road approach. People come for the crib-settlement atmosphere, the open beach and the wildlife; swimming is possible, but there is no surf lifesaving patrol.
Practical Information
- Getting there
- About a 30-minute drive north from central Dunedin, via Port Chalmers or Waitati. From Port Chalmers, turn left on the way in and follow signs via Blueskin Road, Purakaunui Road and Mihiwaka Road down to Beach Road. Several car parks sit along Beach Road. There is no bus to the beach access; you need a car.
- Main shopping
- No shopping centre in the settlement. Waitati, on one of the access routes, has a small selection of cafés and galleries.
- Nearby landmarks
- The beach, its northern cave and climbing cliffs; Pūrākaunui; Whareakeake; Kaikai Beach.
About Long Beach
Long Beach is one of Dunedin’s northern coastal settlements, reached by dropping off the ridge roads above the harbour rather than by a harbour-side street.
The council’s published portrait is of a quiet collection of holiday homes behind a wide beach with softer waves than the south-facing city beaches. That mix of cribs, dunes and open sand is what defines a visit, and what staying here is like: quiet for much of the week, busier when owners and day visitors arrive in fine weather.
The council records the Māori name as Warauwerawera. Published Māori sources use closely related forms. Wikipedia cites Wharauwerawera from a Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki place-name list, and Wharewerawera from the Ngāi Tahu atlas Kā Huru Manu.
The spellings differ, so those iwi sources are the place to check if the name itself is the point of a visit or a piece of research.
Some of the earliest recorded traces of human settlement in the South Island come from nearby Kaikai Beach, just to the northwest, which places this stretch of coast in a much older landscape than the holiday houses suggest.
The English name is simply descriptive. The beach runs about 2.4 kilometres between rock formations. Cliffs along it are used by rock climbers, and a large cave sits at the northern end. Dunedin City Council also notes that the 2006 film Out of the Blue was primarily filmed here.
The settlement itself has stayed small. It reads as a crib community more than a residential suburb, with Beach Road as the local spine and car parks spaced along it for beach access.
Day to day, the practical limits are clear. There is no bus, no surf patrol, and no local shopping strip. Wildlife is part of the setting: the council lists blue penguins, seals, terns, pūkeko, herons, spoonbills and ducks around the beach and lagoon.
Nesting blue penguins and the occasional seal need distance. The coast is also a shared space for walkers, dogs, horses and climbers, and the council asks people to leave room for each of those uses.
Getting Around
The usual drive is north from Dunedin to Port Chalmers on the harbour road, then left toward the coast, following signs to Long Beach along Blueskin Road, Purakaunui Road and Mihiwaka Road. At the bottom of Mihiwaka Road, Beach Road runs through the settlement.
Turn right and continue to the road end for the southern reserve walk. Other car parks, including a northern car park, give access further along the beach. Waitati is the alternative approach from the north.
Dunedin City Council states there is no bus to this track, so a private car is the realistic way in. Horse access is best at the boat ramp on Beach Road, where the track is wide enough for vehicles and horses to pass.
Other beach tracks are narrow. In strong wind, take care on the southern walk: it crosses council land with pine trees, and the Department of Conservation warns of tree fall.
Getting Outdoors
The outdoors here is the beach and a short reserve walk, not a network of suburban parks. From the northern car park on Beach Road, a 1 kilometre trail through coastal scrub leads onto the sand.
The council lists the return as 2 kilometres and about 40 minutes, and allows walking, running and horse riding. Dogs are allowed off leash on the beach. At the southern end, the Department of Conservation describes a flat grass track through Long Beach Recreation Reserve, with stiles at both entrances, as an easy leg-stretch.
The council’s beach guide calls this a swimming and picnic spot, helped by a bay that is less exposed to swell than Dunedin’s south-facing coast. There is no surf lifesaving patrol, so swimming is at your own judgement.
Keep well clear of nesting blue penguins and any seal. The southern walking track is in a tsunami zone: if a siren sounds or a tsunami alert is received, move to higher ground and stay away from the coast until the alert is over.
History and Heritage
This coast was part of a wider Māori landscape long before the crib houses appeared. Archaeological evidence from Kaikai Beach, just northwest of Long Beach, is among the earliest traces of human settlement recorded in the South Island.
Across a headland to the southeast, Whareakeake (formerly called Murdering Beach) was a trading village until a conflict in 1817 with sailors from a European whaling ship.
Dunedin City Council tells that history on its own beach page. It is a neighbouring place, not part of the Long Beach settlement, but it shows why this shoreline carries more than a holiday-house story.
The settlement people visit now is a coastal crib community inside the Dunedin city boundary. Council copy still frames it as holiday homes and a sleepy atmosphere, and the beach remains the reason most people stop. The 2006 film Out of the Blue was primarily filmed at Long Beach, which is the settlement’s best-known modern footnote in the council guide.
Where to Learn More
Dunedin City Council: Beaches around Dunedin: Council guide to the settlement, the 2.4 kilometre beach, access via Port Chalmers or Waitati, and local wildlife.
Dunedin City Council: Long Beach walking track: Track times, Beach Road car parks, dog and horse access, and wildlife cautions.
Department of Conservation: Long Beach (South) Walking Track: Driving directions to the southern reserve walk, plus wind and tsunami advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Long Beach part of Dunedin?
Yes. It is a small coastal settlement inside the Dunedin City boundary, on the north coast between Blueskin Bay and the mouth of the Otago Harbour.
How do you get to Long Beach?
Drive about 30 minutes north via Port Chalmers or Waitati. From Port Chalmers, follow signs along Blueskin Road, Purakaunui Road and Mihiwaka Road down to Beach Road, where there are several car parks.
Is there a bus to Long Beach?
No. Dunedin City Council says there is no bus access to the beach track, so you need your own car.
What is the Māori name for Long Beach?
Dunedin City Council uses Warauwerawera. Wikipedia also records Wharauwerawera, from a Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki list, and Wharewerawera, from the Ngāi Tahu atlas Kā Huru Manu.
Are there shops or a school in the settlement?
Council pages describe holiday homes and do not list a local school or shopping centre. Waitati, on one access route, has a small selection of cafés and galleries. Check the Ministry of Education for the enrolment zone of a specific address.
Can you swim at the beach?
The council describes it as a swimming and picnic spot with relatively calm water, but there is no surf lifesaving patrol. Swim only if you are confident in the conditions.
Are dogs allowed at Long Beach?
Yes. Dunedin City Council allows dogs off leash on this beach. It is a shared space with walkers, horses and climbers, so keep dogs under control around other people and wildlife.
What wildlife might I see?
The council lists blue penguins, seals, terns, pūkeko, herons, spoonbills and ducks around the beach and lagoon. Nesting blue penguins and seals need plenty of distance.
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