Perfect bay for a diversion, mint swim

My first glimpse of Gore Bay was a pretty epic one. I’d driven the twisty, turny route towards the coast from Domett so I could check out the Cathedral Cliffs along the way. Across from those spectacularly eroded rock pillars, I could see the golden arc of Gore Bay stretching out in the distance and I knew I was in for a treat.

Once I got down to the bay, I did a good recce to suss out the best place to access the beach. My conclusion was that I should have stopped just as I got into the bay! There’s a public toilet next to Old School Reserve with carparking outside it. From there, I wandered along the mysterious shell- and rock-festooned fence to reach an access way down to the beach. As I went, I saw a sign warning of the possible presence of seals on the beach. I didn’t see any but I could sure smell them as I wandered down through the narrow bush margin on to the sand.

Further north, the beach is stonier and there’s a bigger drop-off, while at this end it was a bit sandier and with a less steep drop-off into the water. Even though it was quite windy and the waves were a bit sloppy, I had a beaut swim. I can imagine that on a flat day this would be an absolutely mint place to swim.

The township here is small and quiet with an old-school Kiwi-bach summer feel to it. This belies the place that it has played in the history of Aotearoa. Pariroa, meaning long cliff, was an important kai-gathering spot for Kāi Tahu travellers heading for the West Coast. Then, in February 1769, the bay was spotted by Captain James Cook as he sailed along the east coast of Te Wai Pounamu. He named the bay after the ships third lieutenant John Gore, who later went on to take over command of the Resolution after Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779.

Leaving Gore Bay, I took the more direct route to Cheviot and was surprised at just how easy a drive it was. If you’re not a fan of a windy, steep drive on which you might get stuck behind flying cyclists, I recommend taking this road in both directions and just making a diversion up the hill to look at the cliffs.

Gore Bay 

Pariroa/Gore Bay,

Canterbury

At a glance

Getting there: From Cheviot, head east on McQueen Road. After 300m, turn right on to Gore Bay Rd. You’ll reach the bay after about 7km. Continue through Gore Bay township, and turn left on to Moody St. About 1km later, you’ll reach Old School Reserve where there’s parking and public toilets. 

Parking: Yes 

Toilets: Yes 

Changing rooms: No 

Showers: No 

Kid friendly: Yes, with supervision in flat conditions 

Dog friendly: Yes, off leash on the beach, but they need to be on a leash if they’re south of Farmer St between Labour Weekend and Easter.