Brighton Beach, Dunedin

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Last Updated on March 23, 2023 by Jon Algie

Brighton Beach, located 20 km south of Dunedin city, is made up of several bays and beach areas. Together they form one of Dunedin’s best coastal destinations, where you can walk along the sand for miles without seeing anyone, surf world class waves or watch dramatic sunsets.

Brighton Beach

There are several sections of beach in Brighton and all of them are worth seeing. The sand is hard and the beaches are wide — it’s the perfect place for a long walk or run. It does get windy though and sometimes it feels like you’re in a sandstorm in the desert — that’s flying sand you can see in the photo below.

READ MORE: Looking for the best beaches in Dunedin? Check out our post!

Windy weather at Brighton Beach, Dunedin, New Zealand

The beach area closest to the main car park is where you’ll see the most people. It’s a popular spot for surfing and apparently it’s quite a safe place to swim.

READ MORE: Dunedin Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Plan Your Trip

There’s another beach just before you drive over the hill and down to Brighton township. You’ll get a view of it from the road, and there’s a set of stairs that’ll bring you down to the sand. 

Viewpoints

There are a couple of viewpoints at Brighton Beach, both located on the hill above the main part of the beach (where the surf life saving club is). There is a big rocky hill right at the top which you can climb to see north towards the city, and on the other side you can look out over Brighton.

There’s also a rocky outcrop that you can climb up on the main beach where you can sit and watch surfers below.

READ MORE: 30 Stunning Viewpoints in Dunedin

Sunsets

There aren’t too many places where you can see a good sunset in Dunedin (sunrises are a different story). Brighton is one of them — we stayed out there for a few weeks when we first moved back to Dunedin and really enjoyed walking over to the beach to watch the sunset.

Sunset at Brighton Beach, Dunedin, New Zealand

Getting to Brighton Beach

You can take a bus (70) from the bus depot in Dunedin, or you can visit by car. Take the scenic route from town and stop off at Tunnel Beach, Blackhead and Waldronville on the way. From Brighton you could follow that road to Taieri Mouth and do the Taieri River Track.

READ MORE: 30 of the Best Things to Do in Dunedin

Are you planning a trip to Dunedin? Check out our three – seven day Dunedin itinerary!

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.