Monro Beach is spectacular: home to one of the world’s rarest penguins, stunning sunsets and even glow worms. It’s reached via a short easy stroll through gorgeous rainforest and located directly off the main road between Wanaka and Fox Glacier - one of several fabulous stops that turn a simple commute into a day of adventure.
The beach is fantastic at any time of year but at its most special when the rare tawaki (Fiordland crested penguins) are in residence. In fact, it’s the best place in the whole country to see them without a guide and the reason we were especially excited to visit.
We ended up going twice and will share all our best tips in this guide.
The Munro Beach Walk
The stats
Distance: 2.6km each way
Elevation: 30m
Difficulty: Easy
The Monro Beach walk is an easy trail with a well maintained path the whole way. The gravel track and boardwalk means it doesn’t get muddy and though very small sections may contain puddles after heavy rain, it’s nothing too deep or arduous.
Most people will find it a straight-forward and relaxing stroll. The trail is almost entirely flat and took us 30 minutes each way at a very leisurely pace.
Starting the trail: into the rainforest
From the car park you head straight into the beautiful rainforest and will be wowed immediately by the huge mossy trees and abundance of ferns. It’s got such a lovely feel to it and the sound of the tuis will be your constant companion.
After 110m you reach a cute ricketty swing bridge over the river. On our first visit the river was running fairly brown, almost tea coloured which we took to be tannins. On our second visit it was crystal clear!
The bridge is quite low and wide so I don’t think it’s one of those ones which would make anyone feel nervous.
After crossing over the river you have a few hundred metres more in the dense rainforest before you reach a junction (which is signposted) and head out onto what feels like a 4WD track. It’s far from an ugly section of road walking though, you still have the glorious forest on either side of you.
Continuing to Monro Beach
After just under 300m on the road you will head right, back onto a narrow path which you’ll follow all the way to the beach. It’s a little more open at first and then becomes dense rainforest once more, and the trail is nice and shady.
We walked after very heavy rain the first time and there were a couple of puddles, but nothing that flooded your boots and the gravel meant it was wet but not muddy.
There are several sections of boardwalk, which take you over track that would otherwise be really swampy and it makes you feel very grateful for these wonderfully well-maintained DOC tracks.
The further you go into the forest the mossier it gets, and - much like Fiordland - it begins to feel like the moss is taking over as many surfaces as it can! It’s almost luminous green and gives the forest a fairytale like quality.
Much like the first part of the walk, the trail is largely flat, there are a few very gentle ups and downs, but never a moment where it feels like you are climbing properly uphill.
It’s an easy and relaxing walk, with the peaceful sound of the birds throughout.
Just before you arrive at the beach you’ll start to hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks in the distance, which is incredibly atmospheric.
Monro Beach
Monro Beach is a beauty. On a sunny day the water appears almost turquoise and it’s backed by dramatic rocks and sea stacks at either end. The first time we visited there was a huge swell and it was mesmerising to sit and watch the giant waves roll in.
We hadn’t realised, that though these wild conditions were amazing to witness, it meant our chances of seeing the penguins were zero (more on the conditions you need to see them later in the post).
We ended up staying at the beach until twilight and witnessed a beautiful sunset. If you are lucky enough to be able to time your visit to catch a sunset, it won’t disappoint!
Whilst Monro Beach is incredible, it’s not perfect. It is sadly a favourite sandfly haunt and they are pretty intense. It does get worse as you head towards golden hour and strangely also worse at the southern end of the beach, but a few are there all the time.
If you’re not planning on spending extended time at the beach and are mainly going to go for a stroll they won’t be too bothersome, but if you’re planning to sit and relax or wait for the penguins then you will want a good repellant with you.
If you’re visiting in winter there will be a lot fewer than the warmer months, but I still wouldn’t plan on spending any prolonged time on a West Coast beach sans bug spray!
Monro Beach penguins
Seeing the tawaki penguins was a highlight of our time on the South Island! They are adorable to watch as they shuffle between the sea and the rockery, with hunched shoulders and comically large feet. You can also hear the chicks calling them from behind the rocks which was amazing!
As we mentioned earlier, tawakis are one of the rarest penguins in the world, with an estimated population of between 5,500-7,000 birds. They are notoriously shy and spend most of their life at sea, which is why so little is actually known about them. Monro Beach is the most northerly point they nest in New Zealand, but their habitat stretches all the way to the southern most point of Fiordland and even as far as Stewart Island.
Seeing the tawakis at Monro Beach isn’t quite as easy as seeing the Yellow-eyed penguins at Katiki Point. Unless you are very lucky and they come close to the area you are allowed to observe them from, you will be viewing them at a distance. It’s close enough to see them but not to take in all the details. For that you’d ideally want to bring a pair of binoculars.
The whole experience is incredible despite the distance, and the setting really adds to it. Seeing the way the penguins handle the big waves as they come in and then the way they almost belly flop as they leave again was really amazing.
They are a true joy to witness and if you’re lucky enough to be visiting at the right time of year then you really shouldn’t miss it!
The first time we headed to the beach we didn’t see the penguins despite waiting over four hours. In order to try and ensure we saw them, we decided to call the Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge to book one of their tours.
As it happens you can’t book a tour if you’re not staying at the lodge but they were so helpful with their tips and advice, and it was their knowledge about the tides that meant we saw them on our second attempt.
The lodge offer unique opportunities to see tawakis on a guided tour away from the public beach, which would no doubt be a wonderful experience, so if you fancy checking that out, their website is here.
Tips for spotting the tawaki penguins
Time of year is of course key. You can technically see the penguins between July and November and then again between January and March. However, the likelihood of seeing them is is not equal across these times. The best time to come is spring, with October and November being better than September, as the chicks are getting bigger and require much more feeding. This means the parents will be going back and forth to the sea more regularly and your chances of seeing them is very high.
Between January and March is when they are moulting and chances of a sighting is lower, but still possible.
Given how beautiful the walk and the beach are it is worth coming anytime, even outside of penguin season, so don’t be put off, but if the penguins are your number one priority then come in spring.
The penguins are located at the northern end of the beach (heading right when you leave the walking track). You will pass some rocks and then see a sign on the cliff which says you can’t go any further so as not to scare them. It’s just a few minutes walk from where you enter the beach.
There are lots of giant rocks you can hide behind which lowers your chances of being seen and therefore ensures the penguins won’t feel threatened and will continue their normal behaviour. For the same reason you will also want to keep very quiet.
You ideally need to visit within two hours either side of low tide. Outside of these times the northern part of the beach can be entirely cut off and your chances of seeing the penguins are nil. The waves can be pretty big so make sure you don’t get cut off while you’re there (you’ll see the waves begin to come up towards the rocks though so this shouldn’t happen).
Although you can see them at any time of day the afternoon is usually best, but it must be combined with the right tides.
We recommend bringing either binoculars or a telephoto lens - this is especially important if you are keen on getting good photos. It’s the best way to see them as you are not allowed to get up close or enter the section of the beach right beside the colony.
Monro Beach Walk by night
On our first visit we watched the sunset at the beach and then hung around a little longer in the vain hope we might see the penguins (we waited over four hours with the sandflies so you can see we were pretty keen!). Although we never saw the penguins it did mean our walk back through the forest was in the dark which added a little sparkle to the trail.
As with many mossy forest walks in New Zealand, we were delighted to find there were glow worms along the track. They were predominantly along the banks and in the nooks and crannies of larger tree trunks. They were mainly along the first part of the trail, a little after leaving the beach and before you hit the road. Strangely there were none whatsoever in that very first mossy forest you walk through close to the car park.
It’s not a destination glow worm walk as there was no one patch with huge numbers, but it certainly added something a little special to our walk back.
Getting to Monro Beach
Monro Beach is located 30km and a 25 minute drive from Haast and 88km and roughly a one hour drive from Fox Glacier. It’s directly on route between Wanaka and Glacier country if you’re doing that drive and want to stop partway. There is a gravel car park which is free and has no time limit.
If you end up visiting for sunset watch out for possums along the highway on the drive to Fox or Haast, there were insane numbers and they sit right in the middle of the road a lot of the time! It felt like there was one every kilometre!
Facilities at Monro Beach
There are no facilities at the beach itself, but there is a long drop toilet at the car park which also had running water. Please take all rubbish with you and keep the beach pristine for those adorable penguins.
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