Golden Bay
August 8th
With the kids a couple weeks away from starting school we decided to venture out from Blenheim. Carrie had an orientation event in Nelson so we decided to take a visit up to the Golden Bay area at the northern tip of the South Island. This a popular summer vacation area known for its beautiful beaches and excellent sea kayaking and paddle-boarding. We stayed in Takaka, a very laid back town sandwiched between two national parks. What looked like only a 60 mile drive from Nelson on the map quickly turned into a 2 1/2 hour white knuckle trip over Takaka Hill. This journey was appreciably more hair-raising given our newbie status as left lane drivers. Only after getting to the hotel did we realize the Takaka Hill pass has its own little page on www.dangerousroads.org.
Even in the winter months, there is plenty to see and do in the Golden Bay area. Before heading to the Whararikik Beach trailhead, a pit stop placed us along a secluded beach loaded with shells and other washed up treasure.
Wharariki Beach
We were greeted at the start of our 'tramp' (hike) with this con-artist. While he distracted us with his beauty, his two accompanying hens made for the inside of our car in search of Cheerios and Goldfish.
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The trail to Wharariki Beach weaves through a working farm for about 20 minutes. The kids absolutely loved walking among the cows and sheep and over and around the grassy knolls. The sheep couldn't have been less interested in us.
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We..... I mean I, left Will's baby carrier safely tucked away at home, so we improvised by placing him in his diaper bag for the hike. It actually worked out quite well.
After crossing the farm, we went through a section of maritime forest that opens up above a river. Down in the water we could see seals swimming and playing. At this point we entered the dunes leading to Whararikik beach.
The overcast skies made it difficult to capture some share worthy photos of the archway rocks Wharariki is famous for, but exploring the caves and discovering some of the marine life was a big hit with the kids.
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The seals were so quiet and still that Carrie and Lilly didn't notice the one in the cave until they nearly sat upon him.
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Yes dear, the raincoats are in the car.
Te Waikoropupu Springs
Or as the kids and everyone else cheerfully refers to them , "Pupu Springs". It is the largest freshwater spring in the Southern Hemisphere and reputedly the clearest in the world with visibility up to 60 meters. It is a place of spiritual significance to the Maori and therefore swimming and sampling of the water is forbidden.
We found it to be a truly serene setting with vibrant colors and bubbling sounds that our photographs and videos fail miserably to fully convey.
Pupu Springs consists of 8 large vents releasing 14,000L of water each second. We read that it is enough water to fill 40 bathtubs each second. Along the trail was the fast flowing and crystal clear Pupu Springs creek.
This curious Weka, one of New Zealand's flightless birds came and checked out the kids.
Pupu Springs was a big hit!
Labyrinth Rocks
Our next stop was Labyrinth Rocks. Here a large limestone deposit had eroded to form a natural maze. The rock canyons were between 2-5 meters (all metric now baby) tall and it was quite easy to get lost. We had a good time exploring, jumping out at one another and looking for hidden treasures.
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The treasures (small toys) were hidden throughout the maze by the caretakers. If you have ever wondered where all the old Happy Meal toys end up.....I think we found the answer.
*all Labryinth.Rock's photos taken by Lilly
Anatoki Salmon
Anatoki Salmon and Fishing Cafe was a crowd pleaser. Jack was able to get some fishing in, Mere's demands of seeing an eel were met, Lilly got her hands on some delicious Hot Chocolate & Chips and Will was no longer living in a diaper bag.
It is a great set-up where you fish for your lunch and then they hot smoke your salmon or serve it sashimi style. It was roughly 20 minutes from hook to plate. Delicious!
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From the photo you can probably guess who landed the larger fish this particular afternoon.
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As you can see from Meredith's expression the kids are excited to come back to Golden Bay in the summer sun to see the beaches and feed the eels.