- Est. Median Value
- $396K
- Median Weekly Rent
- $450/wk
- Safety Score
- 73/100
- Green Space
- 83%
- Current Weather
- 12.2°C
- Median Age
- 43 yrs
~52 crimes/1k/yr
light rain
Living in Oreti Beach
Oreti Beach is the long surf beach west of Invercargill where the Southland plain meets the Foveaux Strait, and it is the city's great outdoor asset and its most reliable weather education. The beach runs for 20 kilometres of exposed sand with the Southern Ocean arriving at full commitment, which produces the surf that the local surfing community works hard for and the wind that the kite-buggy operators actively celebrate. The water temperature is not the beach's strongest pitch.
The bach community at Oreti has been using the beach as the city's summer escape since the early 20th century, and the mix of original fibrolite baches and more recent holiday homes along the front gives the settlement the character of a coastal community that has been upgrading in stages while retaining the original idea. The New River Estuary and Sandy Point's dunes bracket the beach's northern end, and the Foveaux Strait opens to the south toward Stewart Island's blue silhouette on clear days.
The Oreti Beach motor camp and the facilities that the growing visitor population has brought are within the settlement, and the drive from Invercargill takes 20 minutes on the flat western roads. The dune restoration work that the community has been doing for years is making the backdune vegetation more interesting season by season.
Oreti Beach has no school - it is a holiday settlement - with Invercargill's schools the city connection.
Is Oreti Beach a good place to live?
Oreti Beach is home to roughly 3,432 people across 14.3 km². On Suburb's overall livability scale, Oreti Beach scores 62 out of 100, with a safety score of 73/100 and 83% green space.
Schools: Oreti Beach has 4 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.
Housing: The estimated median value is around $396K, and weekly rent typically sits around $450.
Lifestyle: Oreti Beach has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 12.2°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.
Whether Oreti Beach is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.
Map
Livability Breakdown
- Safety73
- Amenities32
- Schools76
- Housing Affordability95
- Green space100
- Community10
- Transport14
Property & Economics
- Est. Median Value
- $396K
- Median Weekly Rent
- $450/wk
- Median HH Income
- $129K/yr
- Pop. Growth (5yr)
- +9.2%
- Data Year
- 2023
Key Financial Indicators (NZD)
† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.
Nearby Suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Oreti Beach?
- Oreti Beach is on the Southland coast, around 20 km west of Invercargill, a 20-kilometre surf beach facing the Foveaux Strait.
- Is Oreti Beach good for surfing?
- Yes - Oreti Beach has consistent surf from the Southern Ocean swell, popular with the local surfing community. The water is cold year-round; a full wetsuit is standard gear at any time of year.
- Can you drive on Oreti Beach?
- Vehicle access on Oreti Beach operates under Southland District Council rules; check current access conditions before driving, as restrictions apply in some areas and seasons.
- Is there accommodation at Oreti Beach?
- Oreti Beach has a motor camp and holiday accommodation among the bach and holiday home settlement, catering primarily to summer and weekend visitors from Invercargill.
- How do I get from Invercargill to Oreti Beach?
- By car, around 20 minutes west via Dunns Road or the Oreti Beach Road from Invercargill's western suburbs.
- Which schools are in zone for Oreti Beach?
- Children living in Oreti Beach are in zone for Otatara School, Verdon College, Southland Adventist Christian School, St John's Girls' School (Invercargill). Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.
- How do I check my school zone in Oreti Beach?
- Use the School Zone Checker on this page. Enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.
Schools & Enrolment Zones in Oreti Beach
Schools in zone for Oreti Beach
Children living in Oreti Beach have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.
Otatara School
Contributing · roll 232 · decile 10
Verdon College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 716 · decile 6
Southland Adventist Christian School
Full Primary · roll 123 · decile 4
St John's Girls' School (Invercargill)
Full Primary · roll 124 · decile 9
Check your school zone
School Zone Checker
Enter your address to check your school zone in Oreti Beach. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.
Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.
Explore Oreti Beach
Things to do(11)
Teretonga Motor Racing Circuit
Fosbender Park
Sandy Point Domain
Southland Archery Club
Southland Power Boat Club
Southern Bolts & Fasteners Oreti Park Speedway
Invercargill Rowing Club
Crossfire Paintball
Oreti Surf Life Saving Club
Sandy Point Recreation Reserve
Teretonga Park
Parks & green spaces(4)
Teretonga Motor Racing Circuit
Fosbender Park
Sandy Point Domain
Sandy Point Recreation Reserve
Healthcare
Pharmacies and clinics for this area haven’t been catalogued yet.
Eat & Drink in Oreti Beach
Places to eat & drink(2)
The Cabbage Tree
The Cabbage Tree Restaurant
Beauty & Fitness in Oreti Beach
Beauty & fitness(7)
Crossfire Paintball
Invercargill Rowing Club
Oreti Surf Life Saving Club
Southern Bolts & Fasteners Oreti Park Speedway
Southland Archery Club
Southland Power Boat Club
Teretonga Park
Oreti Beach Weather
Current conditions: 12.2°C, light rain
| Month | High (°C) | Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm/day) | Sunshine (hrs/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☀️ Jan | 19.34 | 10.99 | 3.81 | 10.54 |
| ☀️ Feb | 18.11 | 10.66 | 4.11 | 10.2 |
| 🍂 Mar | 16.15 | 9.06 | 4.69 | 8.23 |
| 🍂 Apr | 15.04 | 8.62 | 3.58 | 6.69 |
| 🍂 May | 12.13 | 6.41 | 3.64 | 4.8 |
| ❄️ Jun | 10.18 | 3.18 | 3.42 | 5.39 |
| ❄️ Jul | 9.77 | 3.76 | 3.3 | 5.48 |
| ❄️ Aug | 10.65 | 3.95 | 3.01 | 6.8 |
| 🌸 Sep | 12.44 | 5.69 | 5.18 | 7.5 |
| 🌸 Oct | 13.29 | 6.25 | 4.27 | 8.22 |
| 🌸 Nov | 14.73 | 7.42 | 3.46 | 10.2 |
| ☀️ Dec | 17.35 | 10.24 | 5.08 | 9.63 |
Oreti Beach Community
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