Willsher Bay Beach Walk
Kaka Point · Otago
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 are banned from the northern end of Kaka Point beach. The Clutha District Regulatory Bylaw 2022 sets that no-dog area "between the 'no dog' signs at Kaka Point which covers an area from the rocks at the northern end of the beach to the public toilets to the south of the surf lifesaving clubrooms", so the public toilets are the line and everything north of them is off limits to dogs. From the toilets south along Willsher Bay the rule flips: this is coastal land, where the bylaw says "a dog may be exercised without being restrained provided such a dog is kept under continuous control". Continuous control means the dog stays under your continuous surveillance and does not give rise to any reasonable complaint about its behaviour. Put the lead back on within 20 metres of wildlife. The bylaw counts marine mammals as wildlife, so a hauled-out sea lion or fur seal triggers that rule”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Willsher Bay Beach Walk
Willsher Bay Beach Walk covers 2.3 km, near Kaka Point in Otago.
Willsher Bay is the long open beach running south from Kaka Point village, and it is the stretch where dogs get their run. Start at the public toilets on the Esplanade, drop onto the sand and head south. It is a bit over 1 km down to the mouth of Karoro Creek and the same back, roughly 2.3 km all up and flat the whole way. Firm sand near the water makes for quick going, and at low tide the beach is wide enough for a proper long throw. The bay faces east into open ocean, so expect wind and heavy surf. This is a running beach, not a swimming beach. For the swim, keep going south of town on Esplanade Rd to the Willsher Bay Domain, where Karoro Creek (Te Karoro) comes down behind the beach. Sheltered water, ideal for fetch and a paddle out of the swell, with picnic tables and plenty of parking. The toilets down there are rarely open to the public, so use the ones at the beach access on your way through. One thing to get right: the village end of the beach, north of the toilets, is a no-dog area. If you are walking down from the shops, stay on the road until you reach the toilets and start from there.
Expect easy going, with around 12 m of climb, and takes about 28 min to walk.
Dogs are welcome here. This walk is on the map because Petra & Bowzer suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.
