Marfell's Beach

Great spot right in the beach. Access for quad bikes. Soft surf. Walk one direction to the old wharf and the other direction to the point. Clean facilities and trees for shade.

On the 14th of November 2016, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. At a depth of only 15km, the 'quake was felt throughout the country and was second only in magnitude to one other earthquake, that struck Wairarapa in 1855, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake – the most powerful ever recorded in New Zealand. A tsunami with waves up to 10 metres high was generated in Cook Strait and a newly exposed strip of shoreline between Wellington and the Hutt Valley offered a safe road and railway route – parts of the coastal road had previously been impassable at high tide! The same thing has occurred here at Marfell's beach scenic walk to the lighthouse! A popular 6km walk which takes approximately 90 minutes to walk to the lighthouse. The Marfells Beach-Cape Campbell walk is an unmarked route following the beach from the camping ground at Marfells Beach to Cape Campbell, which is the southernmost tip of Cook Strait. Prior to the November 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, access to Cape Campbell required careful timing to coincide with low tide, but since the earthquake, significant uplift has make the beach walk more accessible and less dependent on the tides, however it still is prudent to check weather conditions. The Marfells Beach turnoff is about 36 kilometres south of Blenheim and the beach a further 8km along the mostly sealed road. Cook Strait is one of the world's roughest stretches of water. It's part of the westerly wind belt known as the Roaring Forties. For this reason, there have been a lot of recorded shipwrecks from the 19th century. The average ocean depth of the Cook Strait is only about 128 metres. Between 1845 and 1947, 19 ships came to peril along this east coast stretch, "and with the earthquake uplift, you can see why, because all these rocks have appeared, showing numerous reefs. The location of the lighthouse is the southernmost extreme of Cook Strait. Marfells Beach has a DOC camping ground. It appears to be quite a popular camping area. This area would would be one of the sunniest places in NZ. If you come here, you should expect excellent weather. Nearby, as you drive into Marfell's beach is the local salt factory. Taking advantage of Marlborough’s low rainfall, it’s been used for the production of salt by the Dominion Salt company since 1942, producing 70,000-plus tonnes a year of locally made sea salt! There are no public tours or sales at the saltworks, but you can see the evaporation ponds and 20 metre-high mounds of salt from the road as you drive towards Marfell's beach.

We didn't camp there so I can't offer advice in that area. However the place was lovely. The walk to the lighthouse is perfect to unwind and reconnect with nature. Simply beautiful.

Nice Sandy beach with toilets handy good place for camping with the family . Also you can walk 4wd or ride motorbikes round to the light house In a caim manner slow speed

quiet nice place for camping. but facility was not good. only one shower booth with shower curtain. smell disgusting. water was too cold.