Scotts Beach

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Scotts Beach.  The Cow Shed Restaurant serves incredible seafood, meat, and poultry dishes. Rivers Cafe serves delicious salads, pizzas, meat, seafood, and poultry dishes. Beechwoods Cafe serves incredible salads, burgers, poultry, and meat dishes. Zen's Kitchen serves amazing vegan dishes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant nearby, Cowshed Cafe & Accommodation serves delicious meat, seafood, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for accommodation in Scotts Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Karamea River Motels is 19 minutes away by car and offers a few amenities, including comfortable rooms and an outdoor seating area.  A more affordable hotel is the 4-Star Carters By The Sea Beachside Studio Apartments, which offers a few amenities, including free Wi-Fi and comfortable rooms.  Another moderately priced option is the 3-Star Bazil's Hostel & Surf School, which has comfortable rooms, a garden with hammocks, a barbecue grill facility, and a surf school.  A more reasonably priced option is the 3-Star Buller Bridge Motel, which has a few amenities, including comfortable rooms and a kitchen in all rooms.  If you are looking for another affordable hotel, Westport Motels has comfortable rooms and a communal kitchen.

Scotts Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities except a campground, so plan your trip accordingly.

Scotts Beach offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, camping, watching wildlife, hiking, and photography.  If you plan to go into the water, swimming is allowed, but we recommend being careful, as water is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  Hikers can explore the nearby Heaphy Track, which offers unique insights into the local biodiversity.  If you enjoy camping, you can book one of the nine non-powered tent sites at the nearby Scotts Beach Campsite, which offers an amazing camping experience in the wild.  Visitors may spot endangered great spotted kiwi, dolphins, fur seals, whales, and many native birds, including weka, tui, bellbirds, and kereru.  The crystal-clear water and panoramic views of the beach make it a perfect location for taking the best beach photos.  This beach is known for its tranquil and secluded beach experience, which makes it a perfect destination for those seeking natural beauty and solitude.  Dogs are not allowed here, and the beach is open from sunrise until sunset.

Scotts Beach, New Zealand, does not offer an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Scotts Beach is difficult - the beach is accessible only by foot via a well-maintained walking trail popularly known as Heaphy Track, which provides easy access to the beach.

Scotts Beach is often shrouded in mist, giving it a mystical atmosphere.  Interestingly, Scotts Beach is home to wekas, the curious, flightless native birds, who are known to sneak up on hikers and steal their food or shiny objects.

There are many attractions near Scotts Beach.  Kahurangi National Park is the second-largest national park in New Zealand, covering about 4,529 square kilometers, known for its historical significance, rich biodiversity, and diverse landscapes, including rugged mountains, forests, hiking trails, limestone caves, arches, beaches, and a gorge.  Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including swimming, hiking, kayaking, watching wildlife, camping, and picnicking.  The Heaphy Track is a 78.4-kilometer-long immensely popular moderately challenging hiking trail in Kahurangi National Park that connects Golden Bay to the West Coast.  It meanders through swing bridges, river crossings, beech forests, tussock-covered plateaus, limestone formations, and coastal rainforests, which are home to kiwi, weka, and giant land snails.  Also, this beach is open for mountain biking from May 1 to November 30.

The Oparara Basin is known for its spectacular limestone arches, caves, lush rainforests, tannin-stained rivers, and rich biodiversity.  It is home to the largest natural arch in New Zealand, the impressive Oparara Arch, and the smaller, picturesque Moria Gate Arch.  It also features the famous Honeycomb Hill Caves, which contain the fossils of extinct moa and other prehistoric birds, making it an ideal spot for hiking, caving, and watching wildlife.  The Honeycomb Hill Caves is an extensive but restricted-access cave system with over 70 entrances, creating a network of honeycomb-like passages.  This cave has the fossils of extinct moa, takahē, kiwi, and other prehistoric birds, some over 20,000 years old.  Due to the ecological significance of this cave, access is permitted only via special guided tours that offer a rare glimpse into New Zealand’s prehistoric past.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, Box Canyon Cave is another popular self-guided cave in the Oparara Basin that features impressive stalactites, stalagmites, and sculpted rock formations.  It is home to the large flightless insects, weta and glowworms, adding to the cave’s mystique and making it an amazing caving experience.