Kai Iwi Stream at Archers' Bridge

Caution: increased cliff hazard risk at this site Click here to learn more

Kai-Iwi Beach sits at the mouth of the Kai Iwi Stream. It is patrolled on weekends during the summer months full time during the primary school holidays. Swimmers are encouraged to stay between the flags as sudden drops, unstable cliffs, incoming tides and strong rips/currents are common safety concerns. A children's playground, toilets and wood-burning bbq's are available at this beach.

This site gives access to the beach looking out onto the Tasman Sea. It is popular with locals for swimming, walking, picnicking and fishing (both whitebait in the Kai Iwi Stream and longlines off the adjacent beach). With a decent amount of driftwood washed up on the foreshore it’s easy to get lost in searching for the most beautiful piece nature has created.

Get directions to this beach

Water Quality

Special health or safety status in effect
Special Status
This means the affiliate organization managing a beach has set the beach status based on special local knowledge or information. Check the beach description and the Sources section for details.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Marlborough Regional Council monitors water quality at popular swimming spots throughout the Malborough region.

Water quality data on Swim Guide is sourced from the LAWA Can I Swim Here? website. www.lawa.org.nz/swim

At this site, water is regularly tested for levels of E. coli during the summer months. This faecal indicator bacteria is used to indicate the level of harmful pathogens in the water.

See information on recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand in the LAWA factsheet: https://www.lawa.org.nz/learn/factsheets/coastal-and-freshwater-recreation-monitoring/

Beach sites are shown as a GREEN swim icon if the latest E. coli test result was in the range of 0 - 550 E. coli / 100 mL.

Beach sites are shown as a RED swim icon if the latest test result exceeded 550 E. coli / 100 mL or if this site frequently exceeds the standard or there is a temporary water quality issue outside the routine testing programme (e.g. sewage overflow).

See information on the standards for recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand in the 'What do the swim icons mean?' LAWA factsheet.

LAWA recommends for all sites, to avoid swimming for 2 - 3 days after significant rain, even for sites that normally have good water quality.

A good rule of thumb is to check that you can see your toes in knee deep water.

See www.lawa.org.nz/swim for up to date information on current warnings and alerts, weather conditions, real-time water temperature and flow rates, and what facilities are available, the monitoring history at this site and helpful factsheets.

Water Quality Graph