First things first, the 10 kilometres of unsealed road from Brooms Head to Sandon can be a jarring affair. Dental fillings have been loosened and car suspensions have been known to cry out in horror, but patience is rewarded when you eventually approach the Sandon River campground, with the river to your right, and glimpses of beach coming into view on your left.

Sandon beach is sublime and stretches north to Brooms Head in the distance, Plover Island protects the beach for swimmers, there are gentle waves for novice surfers, and the river is gorgeous.

Speaking of the road in, legend has it that a long time ago, when a rare alignment of sand off Plover Island created a temporary, excellent surf break, the local road-grader – himself a surfer – was contracted to smoothen the road. Which he duly did, but left the first 400 metres are rough for a few days longer, to deter would-be visitors.