Magnet Bay.

A boulder-strewn cove on the southwest side of Banks Peninsula, Magnet Bay delivers a quality left that peels along a submerged reef of large rounded stones. The wave stands up steep on the take-off with a vertical drop, then runs through wally sections interspersed with hollow pockets where the bottom gets shallow. Rides stretch 200-500 metres on good days, with the wave running fast through connected sections. Surfed since the early 1960s by the Midshore Boardriders club, Magnet Bay holds historical significance as one of Canterbury's original discovered breaks. Best at low to mid tide when wave shape sharpens - on bigger swells it handles more water across the reef. Needs a solid southerly swell to light up, with anything from SE to SW working, and any northerly wind keeps it clean. Access involves driving gravel roads past Little River to a farm gate, then a two-minute walk across a paddock to the beach. Bull kelp and boulders make getting in and out a real consideration, particularly at lower tides. Draws a crowd when conditions align, though the remote location and rough entry filter out the uncommitted.

Steep drop into wally sections and hollow pockets across submerged rounded stones.