How to get to Oriental Bay Beach and is it safe for swimming today - Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA)
Location: Inner harbour, Oriental Parade
Suitable for: Swimming, picnicking, walking or cycling on waterfront
Brief description: Wellington’s most popular beach
Parking: Angle parking on Oriental Parade and car park beside Freyberg Pool and Fitness Centre
Toilets and changing facilities: At Freyberg Pool and Fitness Centre there are changing rooms, toilets, and cold showers
Accessibility: Wheelchair access to Freyberg Beach
Dogs: Dogs permitted off-leash 1 May - 31 October, prohibited 1 November - 30 April.
Dog Exercise Map - Freyberg Beach / Oriental Bay Beach (74KB PDF)
Features: The Carter Fountain in the centre of the bay is named after Hugh Carter, who drowned in the harbour several days after its dedication. The fountain is controlled by a wind sensor so will not activate when the wind is at a constant speed of 10 knots or higher for a period of 10 minutes. The pump will shut down and will restart again if the wind speed drops under 10 knots for 5 minutes. In calm weather the fountain can shoot water up to 16m into the air.
The Carter Fountain operates:
- Monday to Friday: 7.30am-9am, 12 noon-2pm, 4.30pm-6pm, 7.30pm-10.30pm (to 11pm on Friday)
- Saturday and Sunday: 8.30am-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm
The Southern Walkway begins at the northern end of Oriental Parade and can also be accessed from Grass Street.
History: A Council project to enlarge and enhance both Freyberg and Oriental Bay beaches was completed in 2004 using sand from Golden Bay, Nelson. The beach's sand area is now four times larger than before, and the Freyberg Beach grass area is twice as large.