Discover Mākara Beach Near Wellington
Just a 30-minute drive from Central Wellington, Mākara Beach is a captivating destination known for its rugged beauty. This remote beach is scattered with driftwood and pāua shells, creating a striking landscape that is especially dramatic on windy days.
Exploring the Beach
Despite the short travel time from Wellington, Mākara Beach feels very remote. The beach is one of the few easily accessible locations through the rugged hills and along the wild, wind-blown, cliff-lined Wellington southwest coast. The beach is quite limited in scale, at just 300 metres wide, with the Mākara Stream and lagoon at the north end.
It sits within the narrow Ohariu Bay, with cliffs and rocky foreshore to the north and west of the beach. Behind the beach is a collection of beach homes, with a public toilet next to the car park. One of the attractions of the beach is the amount of debris, including driftwood and a surprising number of paua shells.
Exploring the Mākara Walkway
The Mākara Walkway is an added attraction of visiting the beach. This track begins at the west end of the beach. It follows the coastline west for about 15 minutes before ascending southwest above cliffs to historic gun emplacements situated 200 metres above sea level. The entire return journey is approximately 5 kilometres, with some steep sections along the way. There is little cover on the walkway, and it feels quite exposed in strong winds.
Extend Your Adventure
For those seeking a longer adventure, you can extend your walk into a loop that includes a visit to a nearby wind farm and Opau Bay. Alternatively, you can reach the wind farm via Opau Road, with a shorter walk to the clifftop gun emplacements.
Getting to Mākara Beach
To reach Mākara Beach, drive from Central Wellington, head west to connect with Karori Road. This takes you through the suburb of Karori to the intersection with Makara Road. Head north on Makara Road and follow this to the beach. The 17 km drive takes about 35 minutes.
Other places to explore from Makara Road include the Skyline Walkway, which extends from Karori to Johnsonville. To the north, you can head to Porirua and Plimmerton, then continue to the Kāpiti Coast.
