Golden Bay at last

This is the third time we have tried to make it to Takaka and the Golden Bay area. The first time the weather was not good and the locals told us not to bother – “you won’t see a thing driving over the hill”. Second time, COVID, not the locals sent us home.  As they say, third time a charm. Here we are, in Golden Bay at last. Happy days.

The drizzle that had arrived when we left Motueka soon turned to rain. Negotiating the Takaka Hill turned into a white knuckle drive through the clouds.  Derek had certainly earnt his glass of wine that evening!

We found Takaka to be a lot like the Waiheke Island of 20 years ago where we had lived. More shops, less vineyards but more dreads, crystals and baggy hemp clothing made in Nepal. Takaka is delightful and a great resting place after the drive over the hill. Good food and lovely people. And for those gin drinkers amongst you, the home of Dancing Sands distillery. Well worth a visit.

Golden Bay is not famed for its gardens. It is famed for its natural beauty. The landscape is captivating and provides exceptional inspiration for the home gardener.

The vast swathes of oioi populating the wetlands are stunning. How many different shades of green and gold can there be? Add in the multitude, in numbers and variety of wading birds, you are guaranteed many opportunities to practise mindfulness, watching the ebb and flow of the tide over the sandy banks.

A short distance from Takaka, are the Te Waikoropupu springs, New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs and the largest cold water springs in the Southern hemisphere. A very pleasant easy bush walk to get there and the clearest water I have ever seen. The colours in the spring are stunning – all different shades of blue imaginable.

Onwards through Collingwood with a side trip to Bainham. The Langsford General Store  in Bainham is a great place to visit. The local general store and post office, opened in 1928, does a great cuppa and scone with jam and cream served in lovely old bone china. The store is part museum, part antiques and collectibles shop and for those with a bent for the more contemporary,  art gallery. It’s a crowd pleaser but beware, it is not open Fridays.

The lovely man running the store that day (who also turned out to be the scone baker) suggested a drive on to the Salisbury Falls and swing bridge. The swing bridge had been swept away a number of years ago, not that any of the signage along the way alluded to this fact. However the remaining more modern bridge is interesting, as are the falls. Apparently some punters try their luck at gold panning in the river or catching a fish.

Further North, we reached Puponga, located at the base of Farewell Spit. From Puponga, at the end of 4 kilometres of gravel  road littered with potholes, is one of the most spectacular beaches in New Zealand, Wharariki. Think Coromandel’s Cathedral Cove on steroids. Either a 20 minute trek over a grassy hillock or a 40 minute walk over farmland by a lake and then through bush brings you to  a stunning white sand beach. The most spectacular feature of the beach is the Archway Islands that rise out of the sea, their steep sides assaulted by the waves and their tops crowned with a smudge of green vegetation. These islands frequently feature on tourist calendars and also were the default lock screen image for Microsoft Windows at some stage.

Back in Takaka we travelled onwards to stay the night at Port Tarakohe. On the way we passed through Pohara calling in at Lollokiki, the sculpture garden and gallery of Toy Murchison and Kas Muller www.lollokiki.co.nz . We had spotted their work in Art Vault, the art gallery in the old bank building in Takaka and couldn’t resist their quirky tree jewellery. Every large tree deserves one of these! More on these two very industrious creative people in the next instalment.

Whilst purchasing tree jewellery, the woman in Art Vault, recommended a trip to the Wainui Falls. The falls are a 20 metre waterfall in Wainui Bay. It is the largest and most accessible waterfall in the Abel Tasman National Park. In under an hour, along a well-formed track alongside the Wainui River you arrive at the falls that cascades over granite bedrock into a deep pool at its base. The more hardy amongst you may be tempted for a swim in its plunge pool. The less adventurous, will enjoy a nice warm drink back at the café at the start of the track. What a great job DOC does of maintaining these tracks, making such beautiful spots accessible to young and old, tourists and locals.

Finally the weather gods promised a cloud free day with not a hint of rain. We ventured forth back across the Takaka Hill towards Motueka. Though a few of the hairpin bends and steep drops still produced the odd squeal from the navigator, it was a much better trip with spectacular vistas on display.

Golden Bay – what a beautiful, interesting part of our country. No doubt we will return.

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