Check the Beach

Magazine Bay

Christchurch City, Canterbury, New Zealand

Magazine Bay 5 photos

  • Channel markers Lyttelton Harbour.

    Channel markers Lyttelton Harbour.. Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0. Source

  • Approaching storm. Lyttelton NZ

    Approaching storm. Lyttelton NZ. Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0. Source

  • Caretaker's Cottage Quail Island MRD 06

    Caretaker's Cottage Quail Island MRD 06. Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0. Source

  • Caretaker's Cottage Quail Island MRD 01

    Caretaker's Cottage Quail Island MRD 01. Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0. Source

  • Lyttelton 2

    Lyttelton 2. Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0. Source

Today at a glance

Best: 5 pm to sunset, sunset 8:02 pm
7 am
7.1
4 km/h3 mph wind, Great
8 am
7.1
9 km/h5 mph wind, Great
9 am
6.5
12 km/h8 mph wind, Good
10 am
6.5
15 km/h9 mph wind, Good
11 am
6.8
17 km/h10 mph wind, Good
12 pm
7.2
18 km/h11 mph wind, Great
1 pm
6.8
19 km/h12 mph wind, Good
2 pm
6.9
19 km/h12 mph wind, Good
3 pm
7.3
18 km/h11 mph wind, Great
4 pm
7.3
18 km/h11 mph wind, Great
Now
7.4
16 km/h10 mph wind, Great
6 pm
7.1
15 km/h9 mph wind, Great
7 pm
7.0
13 km/h8 mph wind, Great
8 pm
7.0
11 km/h7 mph wind, Great

This page puts what matters first for today's conditions.

Best time to swim

Best: 5 pm to sunset. Beach score for daylight hours, with wind in km/hmph underneath.

Air
18°C64°F
Water
15°C59°F
Wind
1610 km/hmph ENE
Gusts
4226 km/hmph
Waves
0.4 m1 ft
UV
4 moderate
Tide
falling
Rain
0%
Sunset
8:02 pm
Today
7.1Great7 am43
7.1Great8 am95
6.5Good9 am128
6.5Good10 am159
6.8Good11 am1710
7.2Great12 pm1811
6.8Good1 pm1912
6.9Good2 pm1912
7.3Great3 pm1811
7.3Great4 pm1811
7.4GreatNow1610
7.1Great6 pm159
7.0Great7 pm138
7.0Great8 pm117
Sat
7.1Great7 am43
7.2Great8 am53
7.8Great9 am64
8.5Excellent10 am95
9.0Excellent11 am117
8.9Excellent12 pm138
8.8Excellent1 pm159
8.7Excellent2 pm1710
8.5Excellent3 pm1811
8.2Great4 pm1912
8.5Excellent5 pm1912
8.5Excellent6 pm1911
8.3Great7 pm1610
8.1Great8 pm106
Green, 7 and upYellow, 4 to 7Red, under 4Best stretch

Tide, next 24 hours

Tide falling now. Low at 9 pm, -0.7 m. High at 3 am, 0.9 m. Low at 9 am, -0.7 m. High at 3 pm, 1.0 mLow 9 pm, -0.7 m2 ftHigh 3 am, 0.9 m3 ftLow 9 am, -0.7 m2 ftHigh 3 pm, 1.0 m3 ftNow11 pm5 am11 am5 pm
  • Low 9 pm, -0.7 m2 ft
  • High 3 am, 0.9 m3 ft
  • Low 9 am, -0.7 m2 ft
  • High 3 pm, 1.0 m3 ft

Tide is modeled, not measured. Rip current and water quality data are not available for this beach yet.

Beach info

Lifeguards, parking and facilities before you head down.

Facilities

  • LifeguardNone listed
  • Restrooms330 m0.2 mi away
  • Showers360 m0.2 mi away
  • Drinking water320 m0.2 mi away
  • Parking8 within 500 m0.3 miNearest 110 m350 ft. Listed as free
  • Picnic tables20 m50 ft away
  • Playground310 m0.2 mi away
  • SurfaceSand

Getting there

Nearest bus stop
210 m690 ft
Nearest town
1.6 km1 miLyttelton (town)
Nearest airport
19 km12 miChristchurch Airport (CHC)

Facilities from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Check posted signs; details change. Data sources

Nearby beaches

Where to stay near the beach

Compare hotels and apartments near Magazine Bay.

Partner links

Beachfront rooms go first on warm weekends.

Loads the map from Stay22, our stays partner.

Hotel results come from our stays partner. We may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the beach score.

The days ahead

Best score each day, with the stretch to aim for.

  • Sat9.0 ExcellentBest 10 am to 9 pmWind up to 19 km/h12 mph, rain 0%
  • Sun9.0 ExcellentBest 5 pm to 8 pmWind up to 14 km/h9 mph, rain 0%
  • Mon7.5 GreatBest 1 pm to 6 pmWind up to 18 km/h11 mph, rain 15%
  • Tue4.5 FairNo standout stretchWind up to 23 km/h14 mph, rain 55%
  • Wed7.1 GreatBest 7 am to 6 pmWind up to 22 km/h13 mph, rain 6%
  • Thu5.7 GoodBest 8 am to 1 pmWind up to 24 km/h15 mph, rain 29%