The North of The South

We were lucky enough to experience the beauty of the South Island before we’d even stepped foot off the ferry. The Bluebridge vessel glided straight into the stunning Marlborough Sounds to our port-town of Picton.

Upon arrival, we wasted no time on the beautiful clear day, and headed straight to the Queen Charlotte Track.

Meandering 70km, the track offers gorgeous coastal scenery on its way from historic Ship Cove to Anakiwa. Without the equipment or experience, we hiked for three hours at the tracks beginning, but it was in no way lacking in beauty.

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We stopped off to admire secluded bays, with sweeping views over the water – not a bad start to the South Island!

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Once we were all walked-out we hit the road again, taking in the stunning settings as we went.

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We stopped and admired the Pelorous River – star of the barrel scene in ‘The Hobbit’, and contemplated a dip in the crystal clear waters.

And rested our heads at some beautifully located free campsites along the way.

We found ourselves in Abel Tasman National Park, which covers the coastal, Northern end of a range of marble and limestone hills.

The park has long been trampers territory, with the coastal track arguable NZ’s most beautiful walk, but its beauty also makes it a seductive spot for sea kayaking. We fancied a bit more of a work-out (and something cheaper!) so opted instead for my favourite form of travel – Paddleboarding.

After regretfully tearing myself away from the hire company’s darling Fox Terrier, Sally, we finally geared up and took to the water like pros!

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And explored Tasman Bay’s rugged, rocky coastline, which was littered with rare sea birds and mussels.

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We discovered the unique geological formation of split-apple rock, the granite rock is a natural occurrence, and bears an uncanny resemblance to its namesake attracting many mythological explanations.

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We abandoned ships and explored the beaches and coves, before we braved the gruelling paddle back to base!

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After a hot shower and a rest, we left Abel Tasman and continued following the coast line.

We made a pitstop at ‘Te Waikoropupu Springs’ (or Pupu Springs, which is a bit easier!) – the largest freshwater springs in Australasia and reputedly the clearest in the world.

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Although my photos didn’t do it justice, a whopping 14,000 litres of water per second surges from underground vents creating ‘dancing sands’ and swirling plantlife throughout the colourful springs – it was spectacular!

Just for the sake of it, we braved the extreme, relentless winds onto Farewell Spit – at the northern end of Golden Bay, and the most Northerly point of the South Island, Farewell Spit is the largest sand bar in the world.

And if you can’t quite picture its scale, here’s an image of it on the map.

It’s bleak, exposed and verging on Sci-fi. The 35 km beach also features colossal, crescent shaped dunes, in which we became helplessly lost and disoriented for two hours after straying from the track!

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After our windswept and interesting near-death experience, we finally ventured back to the mainland and took refuge in Farewell cafe, where we could enjoy the beauty of the spit with the comfort of a coffee!

After being exposed to a lot of walking, water and wind, it’s time to make our way down the West Coast, which is excitingly known as the ‘Best Coast’!