Clifford Bay is a significant coastal bay located at the eastern entrance to Cook Strait in the Marlborough region. The bay is bounded by White Cliffs to the north, separating it from Cloudy Bay, and curves around to Cape Campbell to the east. Its shoreline transitions from unstable, sandy beaches to a more stable, rocky coastline towards the east, supporting denser kelp beds and a greater diversity of marine life. The terrestrial environment features pristine sand dunes with rare native plants, and the area is notable for the solar salt extraction works at the extensively modified Lake Grassmere. Historically, there have been proposals to relocate the inter-island ferry terminal here, though such plans have not proven economically viable.