Hidden NZ

All Day Bay & Campbells Bay

I must admit I was taken back by the beauty of this beach, glistening orange sand with limestone outbursts falling into the ocean, the beach had a perfect curve to it as it span over to All Day Bay. This is a perfect place for a destination or a road trip stop off. There is a camping ground with all the amenities and the usual small town activities. This is a surfing beach and is safe to swim at. Have fun folks. I hear it goes off for New Years !

Directions

There are several great ways to make it here. From the South you will want to turn off of State Highway 1 at Waianakarua (the town with 5 a's), onto Waianakarua Rd. Take that all the way into Kakanui and turn right on to Magdala St then again onto Harbour Terrace. From Oamaru, Take the exit on Beach Rd and it will eventually end in Kakanui. You could also take the Thousand Acre Rd from Highway 1 or the Maheno-Kakanui Rd out of Maheno right beside the Tavern. I could probably name a few others, but I'll stop there.

Helpful links

What do we know about Kakanui

Kakanui Beach is the first Natural safe swimming beach South of Banks Peninsular. So you would think that it would be quite popular. There are public toilets at Campbells reserve. There is a cool estuary and the river mouth is a fun white baiting spot.

As far as the name of the place, my best guest would be 'Kakaunui' meaning 'many large plants' ?

Kakanui was first a port built in the 1870's with it's own harbour board, but was abolished in 1886 after good ol' sea damage got to the harbour. After that Holiday homes were built in the township from the 1920s until today. Population of around 400 give or take a few. The town went into a decline when the railway went through further inland.

All in all, this is a great little spot to stop and take in some ocean air. My family and I will be back more than once I can promise.

Next time it will be sunny - Stu