Hippies, Hops & a Spit

 Hello friends & family!

We hope this note finds you doing well.  Our journey continues on the NW/Central side of the South Island.  We are in the region known as the Abel Tasman/Marlborough Region.  Regions are the equivalent of our states in the US.  The states are further divided into districts similar to our counties.  The Abel Tasman National park hosts one of NZ's "Great Walks" These "walks" are 4-5 day tramping trails considered to be a "must do" by any serious tramper.  Prior to hitting the trail, supplies can be secured in Takaka, a funky town filled with hippies, backpackers and freedom campers.  NZ seems to have a love/hate relationship with freedom campers.  These are folks who camp for free in any spot that allows it.  For years, many kiwis did their own share of freedom camping but now the locals seem to have grown tired of the constant challenges of trash and human waste left behind.  Perhaps years ago, the numbers of folks doing freedom camping was so small, there wasn't much environmental impact, but that doesn't seem to be the case now.  It is a real conundrum for NZ.  

There is only one road that takes you to the Abel Tasman on this side of the park.  A sealed road winds through some lovely bays and sleepy villages and than unceremoniously changes to washboard gravel.  Golden Bay just outside of the park was our base for a few days.  Great weather made for some lovely tramps as well as a bit of kayaking.  

Ligar Bay  - view from our front porch

We found a couple of sleepy NZ fur seals on our kayaking trip!

Pub Food New Zealand style.  The chicken wings were amazing!

Awaroa Bay on the Abel Tasman Coastal tramp

Wainui Falls

Once we had our ocean/beach fix, we headed inland up the Motueka Valley.  This rich valley is filled with fruit orchards, berry farms and fields of hops.  Yep hops....... as in the kind used for beer.  We'd never seen it growing before so were surprised to find fields of hops growing on string lattice works.  Little did we know that we had wondered into the hops growing center of NZ.

A hops field. Like most cultures, Kiwi's love their beer!

In the Motueka Valley, we had the closest thing to a farm stay we've had.  With cows in the pasture, a garden in the back yard and plenty of land to roam around on, it was a nice change of pace from our normal lodging.  Just a few blocks from the house, there were fast flowing rivers filled with Brown Trout and the Kahurangi National Park, another wilderness gem. 

Our farm house is owned by a couple who live full time in British Columbia

No luck catching, but he enjoyed the fishing.

Amazing views from the Kahurangi Trail

Winds at the top keep brush and plants stunted.

High mountain beech trees have tons of character 

Clouds drifting in quickly turn a hot day to chilly.

Loved the cloud formations.

Our last trek to the wild west coast landed us in a place where the road once again comes to an end.  Literally, to go down the West Coast via this route requires one to fjord several fast flowing rivers with your vehicle.  Rental car company's aren't keen on this so we settle for lodging located on the grounds of a bee keeper north of the river.  His land is nestled next to a large marsh system where we hoped to spot the very shy Bittern (we did). Yes, after all these months, we continue to search for new species of birds.  Our list has grown to a respectable number of 112 distinct species and we still have a few more opportunities to find some additional ones.

This part of the west coast is the land of giant sheep stations (ranches) and wild empty beaches.  Rocky shores dot the landscape while the waves rumble with power.  No ships or boats ply these waters as the coastlines are very dangerous.

Low tide reveals the dangerous shoreline

The black of these rocks is created by millions of cockles clinging to them.

After three days on the west coast without cell or tv and very limited wifi, we were ready to return to the metropolis of Collingwood (pop. 235).  Our attraction to staying was the opportunity to explore the Farewell Spit Nature Reserve.  Accessible only via one licensed tour operator, we were in search of a number of North American shorebirds that make the 6,800 mile flight from Alaska to NZ each year.

Collingwood was once a booming port town because of......you guessed it......gold.  But the gold didn't last long and the city has burnt to the ground on three different occasions.  Over the years, it has become mostly a tourist destination as it serves as the gateway to a number of beautiful places including the Farewell Spit.

Once the Collingwood courthouse, this is one of the oldest surviving original buildings.

Vacation rentals are kept story book pretty here.

Local artists add character to the seascape

The Farewell Spit is 15 miles of sand dunes that create the top portion of Golden Bay.  It is the most northern point of the south island and has tides that recede as much as 4 miles.  These massive low tides expose 30 square miles of mud flats which makes this a premium locale for wadding birds to rest and feed.  There are literally millions of birds that use this spit to fatten up in advance of their long migration back to North America.  We spotted two new species for our checklist.  Yeah!

The Farewell Spit Lighthouse still sends a signal for ships to stay clear.

Miles and miles of empty sandy beaches.....perfect for NZ fur seals & birds.

Wind creates amazing sand art

The arch at Cape Farewell

With our bird list up four new species, we are ready to head to a much anticipated area of NZ.  We are heading to the Marlborough region, the place where some of our favorite Sauvignon Blancs are produced. Stay tuned for our next post coming soon.

Stay Curious!

Cheryl & Dan