Tunnel Beach is located to the south of Dunedin City and is part of Otago’s unique southern coastline. This dramatic coastline features natural sandstone beaches, basalt rock outcrops and the distinct sandstone cliffs seen at Tunnel Beach.
Mana whenua has navigated waka (vessels) down this coastline for centuries. In the 1870s, a hand-carved tunnel in the rock face was commissioned by the Cargill family to provide access to the beach.
The walk is considered one of the best and most scenic short walks in Dunedin and New Zealand.
Our team worked with Department of Conservation (DoC) and Mana whenua representatives Aukaha to enhance the visitor experience through improving safety measures, especially on the headland, protecting rare indigenous flora, ensuring the Tunnel Beach experience is accessible to all along with providing a range of walking distance options along the way.
Our team created a series of 'nodes’ along the new track, providing points where the visitor experience is enhanced. These nodes/points included:
- Wayfinding and interpretation signage.
- Seating - benches located at key changes in grade to provide opportunities for respite and rest
- Increased viewpoints - to make the site more accessible to the public and increase the experience.
- Infrastructure such as pause areas and viewing platforms to improve accessibility and safety.
As visitors navigate the track, different opportunities are provided such as a quick 15-minute walk to see the stunning headland views or a full loop track down to the headland and the historic hand-dug tunnel.
Given the photographic nature of the site, DoC wanted to create ‘Instagram moments’ for visitors at various points along the trail. This ensured time-poor visitors were still able to gain a “Tunnel Beach experience”.
The project team walked the new track prior to its design and implementation to understand the opportunities which could be created and the best locations to provide larger viewpoints, more seating, infrastructure and interpretation.
The team then collaborated using an online tool which enabled us to work and develop ideas, concepts and refine the overall design.
The master plan strategy highlights key node locations along the track and details the site enhancements and increased amenities which they will provide.
