St Clair Beach & Hot Salt Water Pool
St Clair
Dunedin's liveliest surf beach, with cafés lining the seafront promenade and a heated open-air seawater pool on the cliffs.
St Clair Beach lies at the southern end of the city and is the favourite spot for Dunedin locals to surf and stroll. It connects to St Kilda Beach, and its sandy stretch runs for several kilometres. On one side of the Esplanade promenade are cafés and restaurants, and on the other are the breakwater and surfers. At the southern end of the beach, the St Clair Salt Water Pool, built in 1884, heats seawater to about 28°C. You can swim outdoors while watching Pacific waves roll in. It is open in summer (check the official website). The beach is about 15 minutes by bus from the city centre and about 10 minutes' drive from Tunnel Beach.
Opening hours
Beach open all day; pool open approx. October–April
Nearby sights
- Tunnel Beach
- Speight's Brewery
- Dunedin Chinese Garden (Lan Yuan)
- Toitū Otago Settlers Museum
- First Church of Otago
- Dunedin Public Art Gallery
- The Octagon & St Paul's Cathedral
- Dunedin Railway Station