Driving from Karitane to Seacliff in Otago New Zealand

Categories: Otago Region

Tags: 4k, dashcam, driving, karitane, new zealand, otago, road trip, scenic, scenic drive, seacliff

Added: 2 years ago

Driving from Karitane to Seacliff, in the Otago region on the East Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

The small seaside town of Karitane is set in rolling country near the mouth of the Waikouaiti River, and is a popular holiday retreat for Dunedin people.The little town is renowned for its scenic beauty, golden beaches, tranquil environment, and Maori and European history. It was the location of a pre-European Maori kaik (undefended village); close by is the site of Huriawa Pa, a fortified Maori village strategically set on a rock promontory above the coast. European sealers and whalers began to arrive as early as the 1820s and a whaling station was established at Karitane in 1837.

Today, the town is a base for various ocean activities, including kayaking and fishing charters. A walk along the beach and the walkways of the Huriawa Peninsula will often provide encounters with fur seals or sea lions, as well as the wide range of sea birds.

To the keen surfer, the Dunedin coast offers uncrowded beaches with plenty of beach breaks. There is a consistent swell, white sand and clear waters. Karitane is described as Dunedin's 'big wave' spot - not for the inexperienced surfer.

Seacliff is a small village located north of Dunedin. The village lies about halfway between the estuary of Blueskin Bay and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River at Karitane, on the eastern slopes of the Kilmog hill.

The small town is the site of the former Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, a mental institution built in the late 19th century and, for many years, New Zealand's largest public building. The hospital was designed by architect Robert Lawson and managed for many years by Sir Frederic Truby King, the founder of New Zealand's Plunket Society, a post-natal health charity. Writer Janet Frame was probably the most famous of the mental institutions many patients. A commemorative plaque on a magnolia tree commemorates the years Janet Frame spent at Seacliff Lunatic Asylum.