On leaving Neslon, we headed westwards along the coast back through the boundaries of Abel Tasman National Park. After about three hours of scenic driving we followed the winding road downwards towards a wide green valley with the small village of Takaka sitting at its end in Golden Bay. Here we found some excellent motel accommodation at Mohua Motel. The units were spacious and pristine with fabulous forest covered hillsides as a view.

The town itself is another one street offering containing small cafes and shops, but it maintains a quaint, laid-back feeling.

The guide books had recommended several activities in the area, so we headed out to see them for ourselves.

Pupu Spring (Waikoropupu) bubbles out at an average rate of 14,000 litters a second (about 40 bathtubs full!!) creating a lake that is the cleanest of any fresh water body outside Antarctica. After a winding road there through the forests we then followed the well maintained 45 minute old gold mining path around the springs themselves. The path included the sights of Dancing Sands where quartz sands are tossed up half a metre or so by the up-welling of subterranean water from the vent in the centre of the pool. It is only a metre or so below the surface but it is a good example of the way the depth perception is distorted in water as clear as it is.

After the Springs, we headed up the coastal road towards the northern most point of the south island, Farewell Spit. The Spit is formed entirely from countless tons of sand deposited into the northerly ocean currents from the numerous river mouths scattered all the west coast. All in all though, it is merely a very long, 20m high sand dune where you can see an isolated cluster of pine trees at its tip looking like a small island. You can walk a certain part of the Spit, but the rest of the 27km has to be explored via 4×4 vehicles which are available for organized trips from the DOC site. Nice to be close to the ocean again, but nothing spectacular.

From here, we headed further along the coast to find Wharariki Beach which had been described as one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The walk takes you over rounded, grass covered hillsides on a sand covered track towards the dunes at its base. The sand is extremely white and the dunes covered in abundant plants with trees still hugging the perimeters of the hillsides where water is obviously still available. On reaching the start of the beach, you are confronted withe the most amazing beach view. Two huge, independent rock formations stand in the water with a white/golden beach stretching on either side of you.

The wind was soooo strong as we crossed over the white sand dunes towards the beach itself, on a calm day this would be a great place to sit and relax. As it was, however, it was enough for us to battle our way to the shore line to take some photos, before being sand battered back across the dunes. It is though, a really beautiful beach.

The journey back was again through cattle grazing land and orchards with forest covered hillsides guiding us back to Takaka