Gore Bay

Gore Bay is one of the most consistent beach breaks in Canterbury, a long, mostly sandy bay with small stones higher up the shore that pulls in swell from a wide arc spanning NE around through E to S. It surfs best on a NE or E swell with a NW or W wind blowing offshore, and it works across all tides for all levels. Peaks shift up and down the beach and the punchy sandbars can throw up the occasional barrel when everything aligns. Tucked into the south end is a right-hand point that breaks over a rock outcrop and reef, and on the right bigger swell it offers longer, walling rides for surfers happy to read shifting sand and rock. That mix of a reliable beach and a point in one bay is what makes Gore Bay the natural pull-in for anyone with a board on the roof between Christchurch and Kaikoura.

The bay is a small holiday settlement on the coast out from Cheviot, backed by a cluster of baches, a camping ground and the wild rolling hills of North Canterbury. Access is easy, with a sealed road in and parking right by the beach. Above the settlement stand the Cathedrals, dramatic eroded siltstone pillars that rank among the region's most famous sights, and the bay is laced with walks that climb to coastal lookouts. It is an honest, low key spot where the reward is space, scenery and a long stretch of beach mostly to yourself.

• The wide swell window is the trick here: when Kaikoura's more specific breaks look uncertain, Gore Bay often still has something working, so pull in and check the beach on the drive north before deciding where to surf.
• Walk the length of the beach before paddling out and pick your peak; the punchy banks reward a bit of patience, and if the beach is mushy the south end point is worth a look on a solid NE or E swell.
• If you are learning, the open beach peaks are the friendly option and Aotearoa Surf runs lessons from our Christchurch base at Sumner, about an hour and a half south, before you graduate to reading a spot like this on your own.
• Climb to the Cathedrals while you are here, the eroded clay-cliff pillars above the bay are a North Canterbury landmark, with a signposted lookout on Cathedral Road coming in and a roughly one hour circuit walk that starts and ends by the baches.
• On a flat day, drop south to Manuka Bay, a strikingly pretty black-sand cove reached by a short gravel road off the Hurunui Mouth to Gore Bay road, and refuel in Cheviot where the Four Square and cafes cover the basics.

• The right point at the south end breaks over a rock outcrop and reef, so scope your entry and exit on the sand at lower tide and keep clear of the rocks when the swell jacks up.
• Like any open beach break, Gore Bay forms rips that can pull you down the beach or out the back; use them to read the bank, paddle across the current rather than against it, and pick your channel before you go.
• With peaks shifting up and down a long beach, sandbanks move between swells, so watch where the sets are actually breaking and where the rips are running before you commit to a peak.
• Punchy, sometimes hollow sections mean the odd heavy closeout dumping into shallow sand, so kick out early on a wave that walls up and shuts down rather than going over the falls.
• This is a remote bay with no surf shop and the nearest help in Cheviot about ten minutes away, so bring everything you need, surf within your limits and ideally with a mate, and know that cell coverage can be patchy.

Getting there

Gore Bay sits on the North Canterbury coast just out from Cheviot, around 100km (about 90 minutes) north of Christchurch on State Highway 1. From Cheviot township turn onto Gore Bay Road, or turn off SH1 earlier at Domett onto Hurunui Mouth Road then Cathedral Road over the hill into the bay. The road in is sealed.

Parking

There is parking by the beach and along the settlement frontage, and the area is well signposted. The Cathedrals lookout has its own pull-in on Cathedral Road as you come down into the bay.

Toilets & showers

Public toilets, hot showers and a dedicated wetsuit rinse shower are available at the Gore Bay camping ground; there are toilets and cold water at the Cathedrals reserve. There is no separate surf club rinse on the beach itself.

Shops, cafes & fuel

There are no shops or fuel at Gore Bay, so stock up in Cheviot about ten minutes away, which has a Four Square (the only supermarket between Amberley and Kaikoura), a petrol station, and cafes including Two Rivers Cafe, Magpies Rest and the Cheviot Tearooms, plus takeaways. After-hours fuel is available at the Domett service station.

Accommodation

Gore Bay is essentially a bach settlement, with a good supply of self contained holiday homes and beach houses for rent through the usual booking sites. For more options and all services, Cheviot is the nearest town about ten minutes inland.

Camping

The Gore Bay and Buxton Camp runs camping in the bay across seaside, hillside and Buxton areas with powered and non-powered sites, toilets, hot showers, a kitchen and a wetsuit shower, booked directly with the camp manager ([email protected], 03 319 8010); note dogs are not permitted. The Hurunui River Mouth Reserve camping ground lies a short drive south. Freedom camping is restricted under the Hurunui District bylaw, so check the council map before staying overnight outside a campground.