Wellington's closest surfing beach is right next to the Airport. The beach has two surf clubs. The Lyall Bay Club has been here for 100 years. Its rival the Maranui Club not much less. The "Hobbits" surfed here during the filming of the LOTR trilogy. A plan has been mooted to build an artificial reef here to increase the number of surfing days but seems dormant at the present time.
The Maranui Café on the first floor of the Maranui Surf Club building is a cheerful venue, popular with families offering great food and enjoying a splendid view of the beach. It can be noisy. A fire in 2009 destroyed the building but the café is open again. Its popularity means it is often crowded. Notably in 2018 it hosted Prince Harry and Meeghan.
This is a good spot for kite surfing when the wind is a southerly.
Peter Jackson chose Lyall Bay, close to his studios at Miramar, for the filming of the 'dinosaur run' and some 'Skull Island' scenes in his 2005 remake of King Kong. For the 'Skull Island' scenes he was careful to maintain a close parallel with the original film. The rest of were filmed in (also nearby) Shelley Bay.
Lyall Bay from Moa Point by Marianne Muggeridge
Image Credits: NZPlaces and Derek Smith and Maclean Barker Photographers
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