Mar. 6-8/16: Golden Bay

Many people have told me that to leave this part of New Zealand without seeing  Golden Bay would be a mistake. So here I am.

Nelson is in the middle of the top of the south island and Golden Bay is to the west of Nelson, at the north west of the south island. Here's what it looks like. Nelson is off the bottom right of the map.

My destination  was Farewell Spit, a 35 km. spit of sand, for the most part. It is a  nature reserve and bird sanctuary, and highly protected. The first 4 km. of the spit  are open to the public  but the only way  you can see the rest is to take a tour  with Farewell Spit Eco  Tours. I'm guessing that restricts it to not more than about 100 people every day. I had booked the tour in advance, which meant taking the three hour bus trip to Collingwood, the nearest community, and the starting point of the tour.

Collingwood is a wee spot; in comparison  Wolville would  be a big city. But big enough to have a fine little cafe, and one restaurant for an evening meal. Here's the cafe (with  the red roof) and in the foreground the place I stayed the first night.

Breakfast at the cafe: A potato  rosti, 

with avocado and smoked salmon. Delicious.  

Tour day was a perfect one. Our first stop was at Puponga, Cape Farewell, the most northly point on the south  island. And this is what I saw:

Pretty spectacular. But that was just the beginning. From there we traveled  along the spit, where we saw seals, oystercathers, gannets  and most interestingly for me, godwits. These birds are in New Zealand for about six months, fattening up for their trip to Alaska to breed. It has only  recently been  confirmed  that they make this trip with only one stop on the way to Alaska, and none on the return journey. Over 11,000 km. in 8 or 9 days! Unfortunately I could not get  their  picture,  but you are likely better off to Google godwit.

Near  the end of the spit, we stopped at the lighthouse, which was  unfortunately undergoing a refurbishment, and was all wrapped up. It dates ftom the 1890s and was manned for about 90 years.

Lighthouse in the background

On the return  journey we  stopped to climb one of the sand dunes, and slide  down it. It felt like being in a desert, or what I imagine it must feel like. Apparently  sand is accumulating on the spit, so it is actually getting wider.

The dunes. The waves are from the

wind, which  was very strong!

I'm now on the way back to Nelson but decided to stop for another day in Takaka (love the Maori names), a community known  for its artists and craftspeople, and alternative lifestyle. It reminds me a bit of Wolfville. Here are a few shots taken along the main street.

Lots happenin' in Golden Bay!