New Zealand
Every beach on this page was pinned by someone who walked it, with photos of what they found and notes on how to get there. Pick a stretch of New Zealand's coast below and see what turns up.
8 beaches, pinned by 3 collectors.
Open the interactive mapEvery sea glass beach mapped in New Zealand
Queenstown's lake-glass beaches
There are lots of little beaches around Queenstown on the banks of lake Wakatipu and pieces of glass can be found on many of them.
Common colours
Oriental Bay, Wellington
Lots of small pieces, especially browns and ambers, along the full length of the beach.
Common coloursA good amount
Taupō beach
Lots of brown/amber pieces probably due to beer bottles ending up in the lake.
Common colours
Fitzroy beach
Keep an eye on the high water line to find some nice pieces.
Common coloursA few pieces
French Bay, Akaroa
Akaroa's main beach, right next to the wharf, is a reliable spot if you're after sea glass. The harbour has been busy since the 1800s, so there's usually plenty of worn glass mixed in with old pottery fragments. Most finds are white, green and brown, but blue and even the odd lilac piece do show up once in a while. It's an easy beach to walk and only a couple of minutes from the town centre
Common coloursLoads of glass
Days Bay, Eastbourne
Days Bay is an easy spot to check, especially around the old wharf. Most finds are brown or white, but aqua seems to turn up here fairly often too. It’s usually worth looking on both sides of the wharf rather than sticking to the main stretch of beach. The beach is flat, easy to walk and can be reached either by road or ferry from Wellington.
Uncommon coloursA good amount
Ōpunake Beach
Stay away from the foot of the cliffs. An old dump below the cliffs near the beach is eroding into the sea, and a beach cleaner reported asbestos in the debris (1News, November 2020). The main beach near the surf club is easier to reach and safer to walk. Go near low tide and keep an eye on the waves.
Uncommon coloursA good amount
Russell Beach
You can find some nice pieces (including sea pottery) at the high tide mark, or pirate glass is often closer to the water.
Rare coloursA good amount
Sea glass beaches in other countries
Found sea glass in New Zealand?
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