Driving or parking on Dunedin beaches isn’t permitted, except to launch or retrieve a boat or in emergency situations.
Dunedin has some of New Zealand’s most stunning beaches and reserves and we want to protect these areas and the people and animals who use them. The increasing number of vehicles on some of Dunedin’s more popular beaches is causing problems for other beach users and damaging Dunedin’s coastal environment.
Four-wheel drives, dune buggies and motorbikes are an increasingly common sight on our beaches. People drive on the beach for a variety of reasons, including reaching a favourite fishing spot, speeding on the hard sand or climbing up and down the dunes. Most use their vehicles responsibly, but a minority upset other beach users and pose a safety risk to other people and to themselves.
Exempted vehicles:
- Vehicles launching or retrieving boats
- Emergency vehicles
- Lifesaving vehicles
- Kite buggies or wind powered vehicles
- Prams
- Wheelchairs
- Mobility scooters used by persons with a physical or neurological condition.
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Invisible victims
Dunedin’s beaches are home to some of the rarest and most threatened wildlife species in the world, such as the yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho and NZ sea lion/whakahao. Sea lions rest on our beaches and are often well camouflaged by the sand, making them vulnerable to being run over by vehicles whose drivers do not see them.
Yellow-eyed penguins nest in coastal scrubland behind beaches. Vehicles on beaches may lead to adults delaying returning to their nests.
Sea lions, penguins and other wildlife need peace, quiet and space to survive so please stay at least 50m away.
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Safety of other beach users
The increasing number of vehicles on Dunedin beaches is causing problems for other beach users. People using popular beaches for activities such as swimming, sunbathing, fishing and playing sports are encountering vehicles driving at unsafe speeds and too close to children and other beachgoers.
Respect the rights of others for quiet enjoyment of our coastline – keep well away from other beach users.
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Environmental damage
Sand dunes are narrow but important bands of sand between the land and sea. They act as buffer areas to help protect the land, people and houses from storm surges, cyclones and even tsunami.
The 'building blocks' of a dune system are its grasses, which keep the sand from drying out and being carried away by the wind. These native plants give us our distinctive coastline and are crucial to the survival of the birds, lizards and insects that live, eat and nest in them.
Sand dunes are very sensitive to vehicles driving over them. All motor vehicles and bikes can kill plants - even the wide flotation tyres of quad bikes or the small wheels of kids' motorbikes can crush and kill plants and the creatures that live in them.
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Driving on reserves
Driving or parking on Dunedin reserves isn’t allowed, apart from emergency services. You are only allowed to drive on driveways, access ways and formed carparks in council reserves.
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Join a motorcycle club
Riding motorbikes on beaches can damage our fragile sand dunes and ecosystems and endanger and annoy other users. Riding a motorbike on reserves can damage the grounds and cause problems for other users.
Have fun and keep our beaches and reserves safe by joining your local motorcycle club and using their tracks instead. Competitive or non-competitive, there are plenty of options for dirt, quad or trail bike riders.
Find your local motorcycle club at www.otagomotorcycleclub.org.nz
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How we enforce the vehicle ban
Community rangers visit our popular beaches and reserves over the summer. They provide information and report infringements to warranted officers.
If you’re caught driving a vehicle on a beach, unless you’re launching or retrieving a boat, you may be prosecuted under the Reserves Act and fined up to $5000.
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Making a complaint
If you want to make a complaint about a vehicle on the beach or reserve, please get as many details as possible without putting your safety at risk. Try to record:
- the date, time and length of time the incident took place
- the make, model and registration of the vehicle involved (OR the registration of a trailer if it is being used to transport motocross bikes)
- a house address if the vehicle is coming from a property
- a description of the driver (or their name if possible)
- the effects (actual or potential) that you saw or experienced
- photographs.
You can use our feedback form or phone Dunedin City Council on 03 477 4000.
To report the disturbance of birds or wildlife, contact the Department of Conservation 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).