Last updated October 2026
Warrington, known in Māori as Ōkāhau, is a small coastal settlement on the northern shore of Blueskin Bay, inside the Dunedin City boundary. It occupies raised ground in the north-east corner of the bay, with coastal hills to the north and west, dunes to the east, and a sandspit running south that shelters the bay from the open ocean.
Coast Road is the main street and links the settlement to State Highway 1, about 3 kilometres away. The place began as a stop on the old route north from Dunedin, then became a holiday settlement for city families drawn to the beach. It is now a quiet residential community, with a heritage church, a primary school, a memorial hall and a surf beach used by locals and day visitors.
Practical Information
- Ward or local board
- Waikouaiti Coast Community Board, Dunedin City Council
- Getting there
- Coast Road, about 3 kilometres from State Highway 1. School-term weekday Orbus route 1C between the Dunedin Bus Hub and Warrington School on Ferguson Street, via Waitati. The Main South Line railway passes through.
- Schools
- Warrington School (Te Kura o Ōkahau), Years 1 to 8; Warrington Playcentre for early childhood
- Nearby landmarks
- St Barnabas Church, Warrington Beach, Warrington Domain, Blueskin Bay, Warrington War Memorial Hall
About Warrington
Warrington is a compact coastal settlement rather than an inner-city suburb. Houses and community buildings cluster along Coast Road and the short streets off it, above the dunes and the northern edge of Blueskin Bay.
The bay is a broad area of mudflats. The ocean beach lies on the far side of the dunes and the sandspit. The Main South Line runs through the settlement, a reminder that this was once a working route north of Dunedin.
The Māori name recorded for the settlement is Ōkāhau. Warrington School uses the spelling Ōkahau and calls itself Te Kura o Ōkahau. Its pepeha places the school beneath Kirimoko, and names the streams Waitētē and Whaitiri puku flowing to Waiputai (Blueskin Bay) and on to the coast of Araiteuru. It names Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha as the people of this area, and Puketeraki as the hapū marae.
European settlement followed the coast road north. A Crown grant plan of the Warrington area dates from 1863, when the district already sat on an important route between Dunedin and Waikouaiti. A post office opened in 1876, with mail from Dunedin arriving daily.
In 1877 Captain Pitt subdivided part of his Warrington Estate between Coast Road and the sandspit. By the early twentieth century the white-sand beach had made the township a popular resort, and many Dunedin families kept summer homes here.
The public face of the settlement is still that mix of coast, church and community buildings. St Barnabas Church stands at 266 Coast Road, a small timber church in a churchyard. Warrington War Memorial Hall is on Stephenson Street and is listed on the Dunedin community facilities register, with a kitchen, car parking and wheelchair access.
Warrington School, on Ferguson Street, is the local primary and the terminus of the school-term bus. Most of daily life is residential: school, hall, church and houses between the hills and the spit.
Getting Around
The practical way in is by car. From State Highway 1, Coast Road runs about 3 kilometres to the settlement on the northern side of Blueskin Bay. The hall has car parking, and day visitors to the beach use the reserve side of the shore.
Public transport is limited. During school terms, Orbus route 1C runs on weekdays between the Dunedin Bus Hub and a stop at Warrington School on Ferguson Street.
After Waitati the bus leaves State Highway 1, follows Coast Road, and uses Ferguson Street as its only stop in the settlement. It is a school-term service, with a morning trip toward the city and an afternoon return, not an all-day or weekend bus.
Check the Orbus timetable before travelling. The Main South Line passes through Warrington, but this is not a regular commuter rail stop for the settlement.
History and Heritage
St Barnabas Anglican Church is a Category 2 historic place, list number 2354. Anglicans first met in the home of Captain William Pitt and his wife Annie Gellibrand, who had come from Australia. Annie Pitt gave land and money for a church.
The architect is not known. The design follows an English village church as far as a colonial building could, in vertical weatherboards and a shingle roof. Howell and Hay of The Octagon made the rimu furnishings for the chancel.
The church opened on 11 November 1872, with Otago clergy and the choristers of All Saints Church, Dunedin, present. It was consecrated the following June. Samuel Nevill, Bishop of Dunedin from 1871 to 1919, was particularly fond of this country church.
The building sits among trees, with a cemetery around it and a lych gate on Coast Road. It is board and batten, with a wooden shingle roof and a small copper-tipped tower containing a bell. Nevill was buried in the churchyard in 1921.
A school has stood at Warrington since at least 1879. The present school, Te Kura o Ōkahau, is a Year 1 to 8 primary. Its pepeha records that the schools at Seacliff and Evansdale were joined with Warrington. That later school history sits beside the older story of the coast road, the 1870s subdivision, and the summer-house years, when this beach was an easier resort to reach than the shore at Waitati.
Getting Outdoors
Outdoor life here is the beach, the dunes and Blueskin Bay. Warrington Beach is a wide surf beach on the ocean side of the spit, long used by people from the settlement and from Dunedin.
Volunteer lifeguards from the Warrington Surf Life Saving Club patrol it. The club began in Dunedin in 1957 and moved to Warrington in 1976. Swim only when a patrol is operating, and follow the flags. Conditions change, and the beach can have surf.
Blueskin Bay, on the inner side of the spit, is an estuary of mudflats rather than an ocean swimming beach. Warrington Domain is the local reserve beside the beach. The beach is also sometimes used for nude sunbathing. New Zealand does not designate official nude beaches.
Where to Learn More
Heritage New Zealand: St Barnabas Anglican Church: Category 2 listing for the 1872 church at 266 Coast Road, with its origins, opening and architecture.
Otago Regional Council: Palmerston, Warrington and Waitati bus update: How school-term route 1C runs from the Dunedin Bus Hub to Warrington School on Ferguson Street.
Warrington School, Te Kura o Ōkahau: The local Year 1 to 8 school, including its pepeha for Ōkahau, Kirimoko and Puketeraki.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Warrington part of Dunedin?
Yes. It is administered by Dunedin City Council and sits in the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board area. Otago Regional Council looks after the regional bus and environmental roles.
How do you get to Warrington?
Take Coast Road from State Highway 1. The road runs about 3 kilometres from the highway to the settlement on the northern side of Blueskin Bay. A car is the straightforward option outside school-term bus times.
Is there a bus to Warrington?
During school terms, Orbus route 1C runs on weekdays between the Dunedin Bus Hub and the stop at Warrington School on Ferguson Street, via Waitati and Coast Road. Ferguson Street is the only stop after Waitati. It is not an all-day or weekend service. Check the Orbus timetable before you travel.
What is the Māori name for Warrington?
Ōkāhau. The local school uses the spelling Ōkahau in its name, Te Kura o Ōkahau. Its pepeha names Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha as the people of the area, and Puketeraki as the hapū marae.
What schools are in Warrington?
Warrington School is a small Year 1 to 8 primary on Ferguson Street. Warrington Playcentre is the early childhood centre. A school has existed at Warrington since at least 1879. The school’s pepeha says the Seacliff and Evansdale schools were joined with Warrington.
What is St Barnabas Church?
St Barnabas Anglican Church, at 266 Coast Road, is a Category 2 historic place. The timber church opened on 11 November 1872 on land given by Annie Pitt, and was consecrated the following June. It has a lych gate, a churchyard and a small tower with a bell.
Is Warrington Beach patrolled?
Volunteer lifeguards from the Warrington Surf Life Saving Club patrol the beach. The club started in Dunedin in 1957 and has been based at Warrington since 1976. Patrols are not a guarantee of conditions. Swim only between the flags when lifeguards are on duty.
Where is the community hall?
Warrington War Memorial Hall is on Stephenson Street. Dunedin City Council lists it on the community facilities register, with a kitchen, car parking and wheelchair access. Contact the hall directly if you want to hire it.
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