Mount_Charles,_Allans_Beach,_and_Cape_Saunders

Allans Beach is a white sand beach on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

coast of

Otago Peninsula The Otago Peninsula ( mi, Muaūpoko) is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies sou ...

, in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It forms the seaward shore of a large spit at the entrance to

Hoopers Inlet Hoopers Inlet is one of two large inlets in the Pacific coast of Otago Peninsula, in the South Island of New Zealand. The origin of the name is a little confused; there was an early settler family called Hooper who lived nearby, but the name appe ...

. Allans Beach is by road from

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

city centre and from the small town of

Portobello Portobello, Porto Bello, Porto Belo, Portabello, or Portabella may refer to: Places Brazil * Porto Belo Ireland * Portobello, Dublin * Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin formerly ''Portobello Barracks'' New Zealand * Portobello, New Zealand, on Ot ...

. It receives little human traffic but is known to trampers,

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

, and

naturists Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...

Physical geography

Allans Beach proper is approximately long and faces south-southeast; it is part of the Allans Beach Recreation Reserve. It runs to the southwestern tip of the spit which narrows the opening of

to a channel some across. Behind the beach rises a system of dunes covered in pīkao sedge. Behind these dunes lies Hoopers Inlet Swamp, which consists of a sequence of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

types from freshwater

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

. The Allans Beach Wildlife Management Reserve covers a section of the Inlet beyond these wetlands. Northeastward the land rises towards Mount Charles; eastward along the coast the slopes of the Mount abut the sea to form the rugged headlands of Mātakitaki and

Cape Saunders Kaimata, or Cape Saunders, is the prominent headland on the Pacific Ocean coast of Muaupoko, the Otago Peninsula, in the far south-east of Aotearoa New Zealand's Te Wai Pounamu, the South Island. It is home to the Cape Saunders Lighthouse. Capta ...

. On the far side of the channel the next peak is

Sandymount Sandymount () is an affluent coastal suburb in the Dublin 4 district on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. Etymology An early name for the area was Scal'd Hill or Scald Hill.

. Periodically, natural processes cause sediments to block the channel entirely, most recently in 2012. The surf at Allans Beach is generally stronger than at beaches closer to the city; in winter the swells coming from the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

can be huge.

Wildlife

New Zealand Sea Lion sitting at Allan's Beach

Allans Beach is frequented by

New Zealand fur seals ''Arctocephalus forsteri'' ( common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New ...

New Zealand sea lion The New Zealand sea lion (''Phocarctos hookeri''), once known as Hooker's sea lion, and as or (male) and (female) in Māori, is a species of sea lion that is endemic to New Zealand and primarily breeds on New Zealand's subantarctic Auckland ...

s, and

yellow-eyed penguin The yellow-eyed penguin (''Megadyptes antipodes''), known also as hoiho or tarakaka, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand. Previously thought closely related to the little penguin (''Eudyptula minor''), molecular research has shown it ...

s. The public are urged to keep at least away from these animals, and from active sea lions. Visitors encountering yellow-eyed penguins are asked to crouch down so as not to disturb them. In addition, Hoopers Inlet and the wetlands on the northern side of the Allans Beach spit host a diverse range of

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

biota.

Shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

s may be encountered offshore. Despite the aforementioned precautions (which may be enforced by fines under the Marine Mammals Protection Act), some recreational users of Allans Beach have been observed harassing the wildlife. The yellow-eyed penguins' nearest nesting colony is on the Sandymount side of the Hoopers Inlet channel; during the periodic natural blockages of the channel it becomes accessible to foot traffic from the beach, thus exposing the colony to interference by humans and dogs.

Recreational use

Allans Beach sees relatively few visitors. Access is via a walking track across farmland from the end of Allans Beach Road. This track continues for the entire length of the beach and is used for walking, jogging, and wildlife observation. The low elevation of the terrain renders it suitable for trampers of all skill levels. Dogs may be walked on a leash at the western end of the beach but are not permitted at the eastern end, to protect the wildlife. Horses are not permitted on Allans Beach as the area is deemed ecologically sensitive. The frequently high swells can make Allans Beach dangerous for swimmers and challenging for

. At least an intermediate level of surfing skill is recommended except on particularly calm days. Owing to Allans Beach's secluded situation, it is favoured by

. New Zealand has no official nude beaches, as public nudity is legal on any beach where it is "known to occur".

References

{{reflist Otago Peninsula Beaches of Otago Nude beaches Surfing locations in New Zealand Naturism in New Zealand