Getting There
St Clair Beach is easily one of the most popular destinations for locals and visitors alike to enjoy a swim, stroll or a coffee in one of the lovely seaside esplanade cafes. It is less than 10 minutes drive from the centre of Dunedin city, Access to the St Clair Esplanade and the beach is via Victoria road. There is plenty of free parking along the waterfront.
A cafe and surf shop on the corner of the St Clair Esplanade.
The main reason many landscape photographers flock to St Clair beach is to photograph the old set of piles that were originally designed to help stop erosion on the beach. In 2015 a huge set of king tides pulverised the poles which had numbered beyond twenty, now only a few remain.
St Clair Poles 2015 New Years Day.
St Clair Poles July 2015. King tides decimate the poles and suck the sand from the beach exposing rocks and pebbles.
St Clair Poles as they look today.
Pink hues from the sunset match the flowers in the foreground of this image, I placed the famous poles in the background to give context to the location.
A moody start to the day on St Clair beach.
Summary
It would be a shame to visit Dunedin and not visit St Clair beach, even if it were only to stroll along the Esplanade. However the spot tends to get lovely sunrises and sunsets so is well worth a trip out with your camera.
Trev Hill is a professional photographer based in Dunedin.
