Tunnel Beach has a new, upgraded car park.

Tunnel Beach is a special place for Dunedin locals and visitors, enjoyed by about 120,000 people every year.

The Dunedin City Council, the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment have been working hard to make it even better for everyone by developing a new and improved carpark.

The park at the start of the walking track to the beach was officially opened at the start of last month. It has plenty of space for cars, bikes, and walkers and has parks for larger vehicles, to prevent them blocking the road. Other facilities include toilets, seating and rubbish bins. Plus, it has a spectacular view of Te Moananui a Kiwa – the Pacific Ocean.

As well as the carpark, we’ve built a new footpath on Blackhead Road, which connects bus routes Corstorphine, and makes Tunnel Beach Road safer. There is still some work to do, so you may see DOC continuing with improving its facilities and realigning the track.

Most of the walk will stay open during this work, but there may be some short closures. The carpark is open every day from 8am to 9pm between September to March, and from 9am to 5pm between April to August. This is to limit freedom camping as it is not permitted in the carpark.