Oreti Beach Track
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Walking
Te Araroa trail section: Walk the length of Oreti Beach, easiest at mid or low tide.
Oreti Beach Track - 30.2km
At the eastern end of the bridge on SH99/Palmerston St, continue on to walk the main street of Riverton where you'll find a shop and a handful of cafes. After 600m you'll take a right on Princess St, which you'll follow for 1km to turn left onto Oreti Beach
About 4 hours (12km) into the journey, walkers need to ford the mouth of Waimatuku Stream. This crossing can be difficult at high tide but is straightforward at mid to low tide. Plan your approach accordingly.
It is then a further 10km walk along the beach to the Dunns Road exit, which becomes visible at a gap in the dunes. There is a power pole here with a streetlight attached. Follow Dunns Road for 7km towards Invercargill and another 2km once Dunns Road becomes Stead Street, which crosses the estuary towards Tweed Street, and the start of Invercargill’s CBD where you'll find accommodation, shops, etc.
The section ends over the road bridge where the Rotary Club’s Stead Street Wharf Walkway begins on the right-hand side.
Conditions
Potential hazards
- Vehicles on road or track
- Tides, waves and rivers – safer at low tide
- River crossings – never cross flooded rivers
- Track exposed to sun, wind or cold
- Weather extremes
- Few water sources
How to get here
Northern Start: Junction of SH99 Princess Street, Riverton
Southern End: Stead Street, Invercargill
Transport
Invercargill - Getting there/away
- Invercargill Airport - Flights to all main centres. Approximate $25 taxi fare from city centre
- Riverton Freight - slack packing for north bounders. If you would like a lighter pack for the walk from Invercargill to Riverton ODF Transport run a truck from Invercargill to Riverton, Monday to Friday, leaving Invercargill each day at 12:30pm. Also the Riverton Freight Van runs from Invercargill to Riverton, Monday to Friday, leaving Invercargill at 10.30am and 3.30pm. Danyon Cleaver, 027 236 9753
Bus options to Dunedin, Te Ānau and Queenstown:
All buses arrive and depart from Tuatara Lodge
- InterCity - P: 03 365 1113
- Atomic Shuttles - P: 03 349 0697
- Catch a Bus South - www.catchabussouth.com - offer transport options from Invercargill to/from Bluff, Queenstown and Dunedin, 7 days per week, with multiple times to/from Bluff each day. We also offer personalized tours of the idyllic Catlins area, which really is our third “Jewel in the Crown” for Southland, along with Stewart Island and Milford Sound. These are on request with booking in advance.
Accommodation
- Oreti Beach House, Foveaux St, Invercargill (sth end of Oreti Beach) - M: 027 211 7170 - E: beachouse@woosh.co.nz
- Mountaineer Chalet - P: 027 211 7170 - E: mountaineerchalet@gmail.com - Includes: 2br cottage with kitchen, bathroom, laundry
- Tuatara Lodge - 30-32 Dee St, Invercargill - P: 03 214 0954 Book online: tuataralodge.co.nz A registration point for those starting, and celebration/meeting point for those finishing. Art deco building with 26 rooms, shared or private. Sleeps up to78 people. Connected to the Tuatara café/bar and onsite Gadoochi brewery. Supplier of Te Araroa medals. All busses arrive and depart from the door. Bag storage available for those walking to Bluff and returning to Tuatara.
- Southern Comfort Backpackers (BBH) - 30 Thomson St, Invercargill - P: 03 218 3838
There are also many other options in all levels of accommodation available within Invercargill.
Food And Supply
Pak N' Save Supermarket - 95 Tay St, Invercargill - P: 03 214 4864
New World Supermarket - 244 Elles Rd, Invercargill - P: 03 218 6811
Countdown Supermarket - 172 Tay St, Invercargill - P: 03 218 6716
Night and Day - 55 Dee st, Invercargill - P:03 422 186
Track Elevation and Map
Total 1 photos. Click image above to view them all.
More information
Invercargill General information
Invercargill Public toilets facilities in Wachner Place (next to Tuatara Lodge) have:
- Showers / towel hire / bag storage
- Bus transit lounge to wait for buses.
Before starting Te Araroa either as a through-walker of the whole country or a section walker, please register on Te Araroa website. Please also visit the website or download the app for detailed maps, trail alerts and other relevant information.
This track is part of the Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa track database. Herenga ā Nuku has maps and advice about public access to the outdoors.
We encourage you to continue gaining the skills and knowledge required for a safe trip. The NZ Mountain Safety Council has lots of free resources and information you can use. These can be accessed via www.mountainsafety.org.nz.
We recommend trying these online learning tools:
Additionally, check out the range of helpful videos available from the NZ Mountain Safety Council YouTube channel.
Page last updated: 20/04/2025, 6:50 am