Akaroa Head Scenic Reserve walk

Lighthouse Road is not suitable for campervans. The road is narrow with few opportunities to safely turn around. The road changes to gravel at Wright Lookout on the Akaroa side of the hill and can be slippery in wet or icy conditions. Only 4WD vehicles should proceed past this point.

Stop at the small carparking area on the left of Lighthouse Road, 4km from the top of the hill. Do not drive past this point.

From the carpark follow the road down past the foundations of the lighthouse keeper’s house and other buildings, to the site of the old lighthouse. Here there are fantastic views of towering cliffs along the coastline and towards the mouth of the Akaroa Harbour.

From the lighthouse view point, follow the old supply road down. It then passes a horse water trough and an original stone culvert. The road ends at a vertical iron ladder descending to a rock shelf in Little Haylocks Bay. The bay is within the Akaroa Marine Reserve and is home to a variety of wildlife including fur seals/kekeno seals which haul out on the rock platforms, white-flippered penguins/kororā and a number of seabirds.

This reserve overlooks the Akaroa Marine Reserve in the Akaroa Harbour.

The headland is very exposed to the weather. Be prepared for extremes of heat, wind and cold. Precipitous cliffs, steep unfenced drops and access to deep water means that children should be closely supervised at all times. It is recommended that children do not descend the ladder.

From Akaroa, take the Akaroa Lighthouse Road. This is 11 km of steep, narrow rough road, suitable for four wheel drive vehicles.

• The headland is very exposed to the weather. Be prepared for extremes of heat, wind and cold.
• Keep your children safe by closely supervising them at all times. This is because of the high cliffs, steep unfenced drops and access to deep water. We recommend not taking children down ladder.
• View MetService tide timetable when planning your trip to Akaroa Heads. Tide timetables are for your safety.

Fur seals/kekeno are seen in the bay, with local colonies of white-fronted terns/tara, black-backed gulls/karoro and white-flippered penguins/kororā.

The original Akaroa lighthouse was replaced in 1977 by an automated light, and in 1980 the lighthouse was relocated to Akaroa.