We were amazed when we first visited Surat Bay, a Pacific Ocean surf beach at sunset (it faces south), so we returned to ensure it wasn't just our imagination. Like many beaches in the Catlins, it is remote and stunning. It also takes a little more effort to get to than the others, as you either have to walk over the dunes from Cannibal Bay (1.5 km walk) to the east end or from the small holiday hamlet of Newhaven on the Catlins River mouth once the tide has retreated sufficiently. This is a 600-metre walk through scrub and then along the edge of the river estuary to the west end of the beach.
Interesting rocky cliffs and tidal pools bound the east end of the beach, and the river mouth bounds the west end. In the middle is an interesting group of rocks called the Triplets. Once on the beach, it is one of the best places in the Catlins to see pakake (sea lions, also called whakahao, which is only the male). Unfortunately, if you don’t see one quickly, it is a 3 km walk from end to end looking for one!
The bay was first named Forsyth's Bay by Europeans, but this was changed to Surat Bay after the sailing ship Surat was wrecked there on New Year’s Day in 1874. The ship carried migrants and cargo from England to Dunedin, and all survived the wreck. Some passengers were offloaded at Jacks Bay before the ship was blown north into the river mouth, where it was deliberately beached to avoid sinking. The story of the wreck is extraordinary, involving an incompetent and probably drunk captain who somehow kept his passengers alive despite losing his ship. A sign at the start of the track to the bay in Newhaven points to where the shipwreck once lay, but it has long disappeared.
To get to Newhaven and Surat Bay, take Pounawea Road from the Southern Scenic Route at the east end of Owaka. Cross the bridge over the Owaka River to Newhaven Road and follow this to the road end. Combining the visit with a side trip to Pounawea, which sits on the estuary between the Catlins River and Owaka River, is easy. There are accommodation options in Newhaven, but no freedom camping near the trailhead for Surat Bay.
