Magnet Bay

Magnet Bay is a long, fat, wally left-hand point that peels along a large boulder beach on the exposed southern side of Banks Peninsula. It is fairly open to south swells and comes into its best shape on a clean S swell with a northerly wind blowing offshore, working through low to mid tide when the wall has the most form. The take off is fairly easy and the wave is forgiving in size, but this is a spot for intermediate and advanced surfers all the same, because the bottom and the shoreline are loose boulders that turn a fall or a wash-in into a real hazard. When the swell is small you need it low or you end up on the rocks. Being a point, the peak is concentrated and the lineup can stack up quickly once word gets out.

The setting is genuinely remote, a wide stony bay backed by steep farmland with no houses in sight, known to Ngāi Tahu as Makara and once home to a pā. The bay takes its English name from the barque Magnet, wrecked here in 1844. Getting in means a slow, winding drive onto the Banks Peninsula back roads off the Akaroa highway, the last stretch unsealed, ending at a farm paddock with a short walk across the grass to the beach. There are no facilities at the bay itself, so you bring everything you need, with Little River the nearest town for fuel and food.

• Aim for a clean S swell with a northerly offshore and surf it through the lower half of the tide, when the wall holds its shape and the boulders stay safely covered.
• Bring a step-up for the bigger southerly days, since the wave carries plenty of size while staying fat, and keep booties on every session for the walk across the rocks.
• If Magnet Bay is too small or too crowded, the southern bays of the peninsula hold a handful of other swell and wind options nearby, so it pays to have a backup in mind before you commit to the drive.
• Fuel up and grab food in Little River on the way in, where the Challenge service station, the Little River Café and Store and a couple of other cafés are the last proper stop before the back roads.
• Make a trip of it by exploring the southern bays and the long shingle sweep of Birdlings Flat with its brackish Lake Forsyth lagoon, some of the quietest and most dramatic coast in Canterbury.

• The boulder beach is the main danger here, both underfoot getting in and out and as the bottom you wash onto, so wear booties, time your entry between sets and treat every wipeout near the shore with respect.
• On a small swell at anything above low tide the rocks come into play fast and you can end up on them, so save the marginal swells for the lower stages of the tide.
• It is a concentrated point peak that draws a crowd quickly when it is firing, so know the pecking order, wait your turn and do not drop in on the locals who have driven just as far as you.
• This is a cold, exposed coast with serious water temperatures in winter, so a 5/4mm with boots, gloves and hood is the difference between a long surf and a short one from June to September.
• Magnet Bay is remote with no facilities and likely patchy or no phone coverage, and there is no lifeguard or backup, so surf with a mate, tell someone your plan and bring everything from water to a spare leash.
• The final approach is a narrow, winding, partly gravel farm road that is slow and slippery when wet, so drive to the conditions and leave plenty of time.

Getting there

From Christchurch take State Highway 75 through Halswell and Tai Tapu, past Birdlings Flat to Little River, roughly 45 minutes. Just as you enter Little River turn right onto Wairewa Pā Road, signposted to Southern Bays, then first right onto Kinloch Road, which winds up the hill and turns to gravel at the summit. Turn right onto Bossu Road, first left onto Te Oka Bay Road, and at the first farmhouse turn right onto Magnet Bay Road, which is usually signposted. Allow around 75 minutes all up, and expect a slow, winding, partly unsealed drive.

Parking

Park on the grass opposite the farmer's house at the end of Magnet Bay Road, then it is a short walk of a couple of minutes across the paddock to the beach. Leave gates as you find them and park considerately on what is working farmland.

Toilets & showers

There are no toilets or showers at Magnet Bay. The nearest public facilities are back in Little River, about 45 minutes away.

Shops, cafes & fuel

Little River is the last town for supplies and fuel, with the Challenge service station for petrol and diesel plus the Little River Café and Store, Junction Coffee & Eats by the service station and other cafés. Beyond that, Akaroa to the east has a full range of shops, cafés and fuel.

Accommodation

There is nowhere to stay at Magnet Bay itself. Little River and the wider Southern Bays have B&Bs and self-contained baches listed on Bookabach and Airbnb, and Akaroa, about 40 minutes on, offers the area's widest choice of motels, hotels and holiday homes.

Camping

There is no camping at the bay. The closest organised option is the Little River Campground at 287 Okuti Valley Road, about 45 minutes away, with powered and tent sites, rustic cabins, composting toilets and hot showers. Other Banks Peninsula campgrounds such as Duvauchelle Holiday Park and Okains Bay sit further around the peninsula. Treat any freedom camping as not permitted unless a sign or the Christchurch City Council bylaw says otherwise.