Castlecliff Beach to the North Mole
Whanganui · Manawatū-Whanganui · Point to Point
This walk was suggested by the community and checked against the authority quoted above before it was published. The route line comes from official track data. The rule-setter’s own wording: “Dogs on a lead on this stretch. Whanganui District Council, Dog access areas, verbatim: "Dogs must be under control on a leash between the northern bank of Karaka Stream and the North Mole." The same page opens with the district default, "Dogs must be under control on a leash at all times in public places, except in designated under-control off-leash areas and prohibited areas", and lists this beach again under on-leash areas as "Castlecliff Beach - between the northern bank of Karaka Stream and the northern bank of the Whanganui River (North Mole)". The whole of this walk sits inside that zone. Carry on north past Karaka Stream and the rule flips: "Dogs are allowed under control off a leash between the bluff at the southern end of Mowhanau Beach (107A Peat Avenue, Kai Iwi) and the northern bank of Karaka Stream." The council cites Schedules 1 and 2 of its Dog Control Policy 2021”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Keep them on the lead, watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Castlecliff Beach to the North Mole
This short track follows 1.7 km as a point-to-point, near Whanganui in Manawatū-Whanganui.
Whanganui's town beach, walked along the sand from the Castlecliff Beach Domain south to the North Mole at the river mouth. It is 1.7 km one way and dead flat, so call it a half hour down and a half hour back, and you can turn round wherever you like. Parking, toilets, the playground and the surf club are all at the domain end, and the mole at the far end is the destination: a long rock breakwater running out into the Tasman where the Whanganui River finally meets the sea. Inge, who sent this one in, calls it a wild beach weather wise and that is the honest description. This coast faces west into open ocean with nothing between here and Australia, the sand is dark and iron grey, and the wind and the driftwood pile up accordingly. On a still morning it is glorious and close to empty. On a bad westerly it is sandblasting, and the rip at the river mouth is genuinely dangerous, so keep a dog out of the water anywhere near the mole no matter how inviting the channel looks. The lead stays on for this whole line. Castlecliff Beach is split in two by the council: from the North Mole north to Karaka Stream, which covers the town frontage and everything drawn here, dogs are on a leash. North of Karaka Stream it turns off leash and stays that way for the long wild run up to the bluff below Mowhanau. Inge mentions you can keep walking from here to Kai Iwi Beach, and you can, but we have not drawn that far, because the stream that marks the boundary is on no map we can source and we would rather not guess at where a rule changes. One more Whanganui rule worth knowing if you are making a day of it. South of the river is South Beach, which is off leash south of the South Mole, and the town centre is a no dogs area, as are Rotokawau/Virginia Lake Reserve, Bason Botanic Gardens, Westmere Lake and Kowhai Park playground. The council's dog access areas page maps the lot.
Graded easy, it stays flat overall, and takes about 20 min to walk.
Dogs are allowed here, on the lead. This walk is on the map because Inge & Pip suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.