New Zealand’s top dog friendly beaches

Bringing your furry friend along on adventures is made easier when you own your own RV!

We know there are lots of things to think about before heading off on any road trip, not to mention when you’re taking the whole family including your four legged member. Ensuring there are pet friendly caravan parks, your pet is up to date with their vaccinations, you’ve got enough food and making sure there are safe places to let your pet explore can seem quite a lot.

To make things easier we’ve pulled together some of our top pet friendly beaches across New Zealand for you and your pooch to enjoy!

Takapuna Beach, Auckland

Takapuna beach is a great spot to take your four legged friend all day long but this dog-friendly beach has dedicated off-leash hours, to make it even more dog friendly. Head along between 5pm-10am in the Summer and 2pm-10am in the Winter to let your dog enjoy the space and run around.

Piha Beach, Auckland

With magnificent views and stunning black sand, North Piha beach is the perfect spot for both you and your furry friend. It’s one of the most dog friendly beaches in Auckland with the all day off-leash area outlined by poles. The waves are strong here so if your doggy isn’t the strongest of swimmers it’s probably best to keep them on a leash or out of the water.

Bottle Lake Forest Park, Christchurch

Located 10km north of Christchurch City Centre, Waimairi Beach on the east side of the forest park is a great running stretch for you and your dog to run along. However during the warmer months (1st November – 31^st March) dogs are prohibited on the beach, so you will have to head to Bottle Lake Forest Park located just behind the beach if you want to keep your dog off-leash.

Lyall Bay, Wellington

With lots of space for a big walk, this stunning surf beach is the perfect place for your dog to explore. You’ll be in good company as it’s a popular meetup for dog walkers and dog breeders. There are some restrictions to keep in mind as dogs are not permitted in the children’s playground area or the steps in the seawall.

Tahunanui Back Beach, Nelson

Nelson offers some of the best dog friendly beaches and Tahuanui beach is ideal for dog walking and exercise with the back beach offering plenty of beach to explore. Dogs are allowed on-leash but you will need to check the rules before you go as the local Council has prohibited dogs in the eastern two thirds of the beach for beach goers.