Low tide terrace beaches are composed of fine to medium sand and have a moderately steep beach face joined to an attached bar or shallow terrace that is often exposed at low tide.
The bar extends alongshore, is flat and featureless, or maybe cut every several 10's of metres by small rips. Breakers are generally 0.5-1.0 m high and these beaches generally occur in areas sheltered from direct wave attack. Low tide terrace beaches are generally safe for bathing; however they can be hazardous at mid to high tide when waves exceed 1 m height. Also note that at spring low tides waves may plunge heavily on the outer bar, behaving more like a reflective type beach creating a hazard. Safest bathing at these beaches is at low tide when the waves are small.
Typical low tide terrace beaches include: Matata, Ohope, Hicks Bay, Te Awanga, Bell Block, Okains Bay, Moeraki Beach
