Visiting the Moeraki Boulders & Moeraki Village

In this article:

• Where the Moeraki Boulders are and how to get there
• Reading the tide before you go
• Parking and beach access without the confusion
• Where to eat in Moeraki village
• Kātiki Point: penguins, seals and the lighthouse
• Where to stay
• Your questions answered

If you’re heading down the east coast of the South Island, we think the Moeraki Boulders and the small fishing village of Moeraki belong on the list. Before we get into the detail, let’s answer the obvious question: where actually are the Moeraki Boulders?

Moeraki sits right on State Highway 1 in North Otago, about 40km south of Oamaru and around 75 to 80km north of Dunedin, roughly an hour’s drive from either. It’s about 290km from Christchurch if you’re coming down the east coast in one go. That makes it a natural lunchtime stop or, better still, an overnight one. We left the area smiling and thoroughly relaxed both times we’ve visited, and we think most people do.

Where the Moeraki Boulders are and how to get there

The boulders themselves sit on a public beach and are free to visit, with a free car park at the bottom of the hill. If you put “Moeraki Boulders” into Google Maps, cross the railway tracks and keep going straight down towards the sea. Don’t turn left immediately after the tracks, that road leads to the café, gift shop and toilets rather than the free car park. More on why that matters below.

Reading the tide before you go

This is genuinely the single most useful thing to know before you visit: the boulders look their best at low tide. At high tide, the sea covers most of them and you’ll struggle to walk the beach without getting your feet wet, let alone get a clear photo of the clusters everyone comes to see.

Check the tide times before you travel, ideally aiming to arrive on a falling tide so you’ve got a decent window either side of low water. LINZ (Land Information New Zealand) publishes official New Zealand tide predictions and is the most reliable source, though most tide-time apps and sites will also cover Moeraki specifically.

Parking and beach access without the confusion

The boulders are on a public beach, so there is no mandatory entry fee. Where people get caught out is at the café car park: turn left straight after the railway crossing and you’ll find the Moeraki Boulders Café, gift shop and toilets, with a boardwalk down to the beach and a small donation box (historically around NZ$2) asking for a contribution towards maintaining that private path.

That donation is genuinely optional, not a mandatory entry fee, even though the signage can read as though it is. The café built the boardwalk to maintain, on private land, so the ask isn’t unreasonable, it’s just easy to mistake for compulsory admission if you’re in a hurry. If you’d rather skip it entirely, carry on over the tracks and park at the free DOC car park at the bottom of the hill instead. From there, it’s about a ten-minute walk along the beach to the boulders.

Where to eat in Moeraki village

If you reach Moeraki around lunchtime, it’s worth the short detour into Moeraki village itself, about 2km off the highway.

One thing has changed here since we last wrote this guide, and it’s worth being upfront about it: Fleurs Place, the seafood restaurant that put Moeraki on the map for a lot of visitors (including us, we ate there once for Isaac’s birthday and it was genuinely one of our best meals in New Zealand), has been closed since 2021. Owner Fleur Sullivan shut it during the Covid-19 disruption to hospitality and, as of the most recent reporting we could find, the building was still closed and on the market with no confirmed reopening date. If you see it listed elsewhere online as open, treat that with caution and check current status before planning a special trip around it.

The good news is the village still has proper options. The Fishwife, run by locals on Haven Street, does simple, well-loved seafood (think cray and chips, blue cod, pāua patties) with outdoor seating over the bay, typically open Friday to Monday. The Moeraki Tavern is the village pub, open daily, serving hearty pub food and a proper local atmosphere, good vibes all round, and a solid backup if The Fishwife is shut or fully booked.

Kātiki Point: penguins, seals and the lighthouse

A short drive (or a longer walk) beyond the village is Kātiki Point, reached via the gravel Lighthouse Road, about 4km from Moeraki. This is the largest yellow-eyed penguin (hoihō) breeding site in North Otago, and New Zealand fur seals (kekeno) regularly haul out on the rocks around the point. There’s also a historic lighthouse, built in 1878, and the site of a former pā, Te Raka-a-Hineatea.

The reserve is jointly managed by the Department of Conservation and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, and it’s open from 7.30am to 5.30pm. A few rules worth knowing before you go: stay on the formed track, keep noise to a minimum, and don’t eat within the reserve, as it holds spiritually significant sites for local iwi. Yellow-eyed penguins are notoriously shy and easily disturbed, so sightings are never guaranteed, but a quiet approach outside the middle of the day gives you the best chance.

Where to stay

Most people treat Moeraki as a stop rather than a base, but we’d encourage you to be a little different and stay the night. It’s a genuinely relaxing, off-the-beaten-track village, and you get a proper taste of small-town New Zealand hospitality once the day-trippers have moved on.

For an overnight stay, we’d suggest BookaBach, a well-trusted New Zealand site for private holiday homes, or this accommodation search for hotels, motels and guesthouses in and around Moeraki with live availability.

If Moeraki is one stop on a longer South Island loop, our New Zealand itineraries hub has route ideas for the rest of your trip, including our 30-day New Zealand self-drive itinerary, which runs the length of both islands. Doing the trip on a budget? Our guide to travelling New Zealand on a budget has practical ways to cut costs without missing the good stuff. And if your loop stretches all the way to the top of the South Island, our Ultimate Abel Tasman National Park Travel Guide covers the other end of the island.

Your questions answered

What is the best time of day to visit the Moeraki Boulders? Low tide, without question. At high tide the sea covers most of the boulders and the beach becomes difficult to walk. Check tide times before you travel (LINZ publishes official predictions) and aim to arrive as the tide is falling for the best views and photos.

Do you have to pay to see the Moeraki Boulders? No. The beach and the boulders are free to visit, and there’s a free DOC car park at the bottom of the hill with a ten-minute walk along the beach. The Moeraki Boulders Café asks for a small optional donation to use its private boardwalk down to the beach, but this isn’t compulsory.

Is Fleurs Place restaurant still open in Moeraki? No, it has been closed since 2021 and, as of our most recent check, remained closed with no confirmed reopening. For seafood in the village, The Fishwife and the Moeraki Tavern are both currently open and worth a visit instead.

Can you see yellow-eyed penguins at Moeraki? Yes, Kātiki Point, about 4km from the village, is the largest yellow-eyed penguin (hoihō) breeding site in North Otago, and NZ fur seals also haul out on the rocks there. Sightings aren’t guaranteed since the penguins are shy, but a quiet visit outside the middle of the day gives you a decent chance.

How far is Moeraki from Dunedin and Oamaru? Moeraki sits on State Highway 1, roughly 75 to 80km (about an hour’s drive) north of Dunedin and around 40km (about 30 minutes) south of Oamaru, making it an easy stop between the two.

Is Moeraki worth an overnight stay, or just a quick stop? Both work, but we’d genuinely recommend staying if you have the time. Moeraki is quiet and relaxed once the day-trippers leave, and a night in the village gives you time for the boulders at low tide, dinner at The Fishwife or the Tavern, and a walk out to Kātiki Point without rushing.

Spotted something in Moeraki that’s changed since we last visited, or have a question we haven’t covered? Get in touch and let us know.