Wharariki Beach

Wharariki faces west at the very top of the South Island, and it is the beach on every second New Zealand calendar - the Archway Islands standing offshore, reflected in the wet sand at low tide with the sun going down behind them. Getting there is a twenty-minute walk from the car park over farmland and then a big dune. What people come away talking about is usually not the arches but the seals: New Zealand fur seal pups gather in the rock pools at the eastern end in late summer and autumn, playing in the water within a few metres of anyone standing still. They are wild animals and the rule is to keep twenty metres back, never get between a pup and the sea, and never between a pup and an adult - bites happen every year to people who ignore this. The beach itself is exposed, the surf is heavy and swimming is not sensible.

What you actually see

• The Archway Islands - offshore stacks, reflected at low tide.
• The seal pups - in the rock pools, late summer into autumn.
• The dune crossing - the walk in over farmland and sand.
• The sunset - the reason to time an evening visit.

When to go

November to April; the pups are best from about January to April. Low tide for the reflections, sunset for the light. The wind here is relentless.

Honest expectations

Keep twenty metres from seals and never block their path to the sea - people are bitten every year. The beach is unsafe for swimming. The walk in crosses farmland with stock. The access road is unsealed and the car park charges.

Nearby

Farewell Spit is east; Cape Farewell and Puponga are close.