Sandfly bay is a wonderful spot to explore if you want to see yellow-eyed penguins, sand dunes and a remote beach. Read all about this cools spot on the Otago Peninsula.
It never ceases to amaze me how many beautiful places there are in New Zealand. It seems like every time we take a trip we find some new place that blows our mind. We got lucky and visited Sandfly Bay on a windless day and even saw a penguin swim onto the beach and walk up the dunes! Such an incredible experience.
Sandfly Bay Logistics
Highlights – Beautiful remote windswept beach, sand dunes, yellow-eyed penguins if you time your visit correct (evening), and maybe a fur seal.
Location – Otago Peninsula, about 15 km from Dunedin along the Highcliff road before taking the Seal Point Road to the carpark for the bay.
Length Of Walk – 30 minute walk one way
Difficulty – Moderate, the walk starts from the bluffs and descends down some great dunes to the beach. The return is an uphill slog through some dunes, but it’s definitely worth it and isn’t too bad.
Explore Sandfly Bay
From the carpark you can look out at the ocean and down to the beach well below you. From up here the beach looks spectacular.
The beginning of the trail passes along some grassland atop the bluffs. We saw a bunch of lambs along this stretch, which the kids were super excited about.
A short walk down brings you to the viewpoint over the bay, giving you a taste of what you are about to see. The signage talks about the area, the rare yellow-eyed penguins, and the need to respect wildlife and give them plenty of room.
Soon after leaving the viewpoint the trail hits the start of the sand. We ditched our shoes here and continued down the dunes barefoot. The sand is everywhere and it was fun to tromp and jump down the dunes towards the beach.
We adults couldn’t possibly keep up with the kids who bolted ahead down the dunes.
Towards the bottom of the trail through the dunes to the beach you need to stay towards the left as the area to the right is where the penguins nest. When you arrive at the beach you’ll see a sign that you shouldn’t pass as that will take you too close to the penguins.
Quick side note – the best time to see the penguins is in the evening. They leave their nest early to head out to sea for the day. In the evening they swim back and walk up the beach to their nest. This can happen anytime during the last few hours of the day.
We joined about 10 other people hanging out on the beach staring through binoculars or cameras with big lenses. When we looked up the beach we could see a couple of penguins already up at their nests. Crazily, their nests are at the top of a long sand gully that they have to climb up with their short legs…waddling all the way up to the top.
After hanging out for about 30 minutes we witnessed a penguin come swimming up to the beach and then start its long waddle up the beach towards its nest. That penguin had been out at sea all day swimming and fishing for food and now had to climb up to its nest at the end of the day.
It took the penguin about 20 minutes with many stops to preen and rest before it eventually made it to its nest. It was amazing to watch, kind of like watching a nature show on TV, only here we were in person.
Sandfly Bay used to be home to around 20 penguins, but in 2019 when we visited, there were only 6. Their numbers are declining at this spot and we found the same thing elsewhere.
Read more about the Yellow Eye Penguin, one of the rarest penguins in the world, here.