We left our freedom campsite this morning without even seeing Lake Rotoiti. A quick chat with our neighbours, 4 kiwis of whom two had spent some time in a canal boat rented from Sawley Marina, about 3 miles from our home in the UK, then we hit the road.
We drove north, through lots of farming country, up to Motueka. The road from there, heading towards Takaka, was windy and steep as we crossed the mountain range that was the last section of the Great Divide. It was probably the most driving we (by which I mean Mick) had done in a day, and the multiple bends made it particularly tiring.
Eventually we reached Collingwood, a tiny town on the Golden Bay, for a late lunch. A few picturesque buildings, but mainly a very functional place.
The final part of the drive was along the coast of Golden Bay where sadly we saw two beached whales. A lady had told us that several had beached just recently, and someone else mentioned another ten dead whales further up the coast. So sad!
Our final destination was intended to be Wharariki beach, (pronounced Farariki), but we took a slightly wrong turn along the track, and Mick ended up trying to demonstrate his sheep herding qualities.
We finally reached the beach, and it was fantastic!! Great rock arches, huge tunnels through the rocks, the tide gradually coming in - absolute perfection.
We played on the rocks for a while, but couldn't spend too much time at the south end of the beach or we risked being cut off by the tide.
There was even a few people surfing, just to add to the whole kiwi feel of the beach.
Then, in the middle of the beach, we came across a pool containing a number of baby seals. Someone was playing with them with a length of seaweed, and they were chasing the end like a bunch of happy kittens.
Finally we walked back to the carpark over a set of sand dunes. This beach had every feature you should find on a beach and, despite the carpark being quite busy, it felt virtually deserted. The perfect beach!
We did a short detour to see Cape Farewell, the most northerly point on the South Island, so we have now fully covered the island, from the most southerly point to the most northerly.
As we drove back to the main road we saw these birds in a field. I'm pretty sure they are pukeko, a bird I have been trying to spot for a while. Friends of ours from NZ, Robert and Stella, gave us a ceramic pukeko last year which proudly stands in our garden in the UK.
Tonight's camping spot is a little carpark by a boat ramp on the shore of Whanganui Inlet. So far we are the only people here. The only down side is that we were hoping for another good sunset, but the clouds have prevented that. On the plus side it is quiet and peaceful (and mercifully free of sand flies) and convenient for tomorrow when we will be participating in a Farewell Spit Eco Tour.
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