Allans Beach

Allans Beach is a consistent beach break running along a long spit of dark sand at the entrance to Hoopers Inlet, with many peaks forming up and down the shore that throw both lefts and rights as the sand shifts, plus an occasional right off the inlet river mouth. It picks up more south swell than the Dunedin city beaches, so when St Clair is flat this is often the place still holding a wave, working best on a SE or S swell with a NW wind blowing offshore and a mid to high tide. The peaks can be punchy, fast and at times hollow, and the bank is often a touch bigger than the city beaches, which makes this an intermediate to expert wave at size and a friendly enough beginner option only on a small, gentle day.

The beach faces south-southeast on the wild outer coast of the Otago Peninsula, roughly 25km and a 30 to 40 minute drive from central Dunedin, with the open Southern Ocean reaching away to the south. Behind the sand sit pīkao-covered dunes and the wetlands of Hoopers Inlet, framed by Mount Charles and Sandymount, and the whole stretch is a stronghold for wildlife. This is a wild, wildlife-rich corner of the peninsula, so it is a place to surf with your eyes open and a deep respect for what lives here.

• Treat this as your small-swell insurance: when the rest of the Dunedin coast is too small to bother, the extra south exposure here often means there is still a rideable peak somewhere along the beach.
• Walk the beach before you paddle out and pick your peak, the sand rearranges constantly so the best bank can be anywhere from the inlet mouth to the eastern cliffs on any given day.
• Time it for the incoming mid to high tide with a NW offshore and you will get the cleanest, most organised faces, with the wind grooming the peaks as they break.
• Fuel up, grab supplies and use the toilets in Portobello on the way through, because once you turn onto Allans Beach Road and the gravel begins there is nothing out at the beach itself.
• Make a day of the peninsula: the Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head, the Sandymount and Lovers Leap walks, and a coffee at Portobello are all easy add-ons, and Victory Beach is just up the coast if you want to chase a second bank.

• The peaks are exposed to raw Southern Ocean swell and often run a bit bigger and heavier than the city beaches, so read the bank on arrival and pick a peak that matches your level rather than paddling straight out at size.
• Strong rips set up around the shifting banks and especially near the Hoopers Inlet mouth where the inlet drains, so line up against fixed points on the dunes and stay clear of the channel if you are not confident.
• New Zealand sea lions regularly haul out on the sand and in the shallows and can be fast and aggressive on land, so give them a wide berth of at least 20 metres, never get between an adult and the water, and back away calmly if one approaches in the water.
• Yellow-eyed penguins nest under the cliffs at the eastern end and are easily disturbed, so keep at least 50 metres clear of them and the cliff base, particularly around dawn and dusk when they come and go.
• This is a remote, unpatrolled beach with no lifeguards and no one watching, so surf with a mate, tell someone your plan, and treat the cold water and isolation seriously.
• Water is genuinely cold year-round, dropping to 8 to 11°C in winter, so a properly sealed winter suit with boots, gloves and a hood is not optional if you want a decent session.

Getting there

From central Dunedin it is about 25km and a 30 to 40 minute drive out along the Otago Peninsula. Follow Portobello Road along the harbour edge (or the higher Highcliff Road) to Portobello village, turn onto Allans Beach Road and follow it up over the hill and down the eastern side of Hoopers Inlet to the car park at the road end. From where the road reaches Hoopers Inlet it turns to gravel and narrows, so take care passing oncoming vehicles. From the car park it is a short walk of roughly 5 minutes, over a stile, briefly across private farmland and through the dunes to the beach.

Parking

There is a car park at the end of Allans Beach Road. It is a modest gravel area rather than a sealed lot, so it can be tight on a busy summer weekend, and the access road in is gravel.

Toilets & showers

No toilets, showers or drinking water at the beach itself. The nearest public toilets are back in Portobello village, about 6km and 10 minutes away, so plan to stop there on the way through.

Shops, cafes & fuel

Nothing at the beach. Portobello village, around 6km and 10 minutes back, has a local store, Cove Cafe and the 1908 Restaurant, the historic Portobello Hotel pub, and a 24/7 fuel stop at 11 Harington Point Road for diesel and petrol. Dunedin, 30 to 40 minutes away, has full services and supermarkets.

Accommodation

Portobello Village Tourist Park, about 6km away in the village, offers powered and tent sites, backpacker rooms and tourist flats with a shared kitchen and laundry. The village and wider peninsula also have a scattering of bed and breakfasts, motels and bach-style holiday rentals, with the full range of hotels and motels in Dunedin a short drive further.

Camping

No camping at Allans Beach itself, and freedom camping is not appropriate on this wildlife-sensitive coast. The nearest formal camping is Portobello Village Tourist Park in the village (about 6km), which has powered sites, a sheltered tent area, a dump station and kitchen. There is no DOC campsite at the beach.