Jacks Bay is 6 km from Owaka, a beautiful golden sand beach with about 30 holiday homes, mostly traditional cribs, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The beach is about 700 metres long and includes a boat ramp. Being east-facing, it is a popular location for watching the sunrise. Access to the beach is easy with the road and plenty of parking between the cribs and dunes at the south end. Even if it is stormy, it is worth a visit with large ocean-driven surf in the narrow bay. There is also a chance of spotting pakake (sea lions), kekeno (fur seals) and hoiho (yellow eye penguins).
Jacks Blowhole, a partially collapsed sea cave 55 metres deep and 200 meters back from the sea, is also accessed from Jacks Bay. There is a popular walking track that starts by the toilets at the south end of the beach. It crosses farmland marked by painted poles with some steep sections, then runs along the edge of the cliff north of Penguin Bay before doing a circuit of the blowhole with a protected viewing platform at the north end. It is best to visit leading up to a stronger-than-average high tide with stormy conditions to see the blowhole in action. However, it is a fabulous coastal walk regardless of the conditions.
The bay, blowhole, and nearby Tūhawaiki Island were named for Hone Tūhawaiki, also known as Bloody Jack to Europeans. He was a famed whaler and a paramount rangatira of Ngāi Tahu iwi who had an extraordinary life in the upheaval caused by European contact. He was a key figure in halting raids into the lower half of the South Island by Te Rauparaha and his followers in the 1830s. At one stage, after a fight against a Te Rauparaha scouting party at Cannibal Bay, Tūhawaiki and his men were trapped on False Islet. He leapt from the cliffs into the sea and swam 8 km past Surat Bay and Pounawea to Tūhawaiki Island! Curiously, his European nickname had nothing to do with his personality but reflected his penchant for red coats, which he and his whaling crew acquired from soldiers in Australia.
To reach Jacks Bay from Owaka, take Ponawea Road for 1.5 km, then turn south into Hinhina Road and cross the bridge over the Catlins River. The bridge is where Catlins Lake narrows to reform the river. Continue east on Hinahina Road along the river, then turn south onto Jacks Bay Road and follow it to the end. The gravel sections are well-maintained and easy to drive.
