All the Way to Golden Bay



Source of the Riwaka River

View from Hawkes Lookout

We hadn’t intended to but we ended up driving to Golden Bay over the Takaka Hill. Consulting two different sources we decided that it wasn’t worth doing more of the Abel Tasman trail. The water taxis are very expensive and according to our sources the trail is pretty much the same from either end. The weather has deteriorated too, and it looks really cloudy around the bend from Marahau. Yesterday it rained so hard that we opted to stay in the cabin all day catching up on reading and writing. We ventured out to the Hooked on Marahau Cafe for our flat whites and to buy a bottle of wine at the grocery. We would have been drenched were it not for our trusty rain pants and GoreTex anoraks. It was very cozy in the cabin so we didn’t mind a “day off” at all.

Today we decided to do the Resurgence Walk as recommended by Andre. We’ve learned that the shorter walks in NZ can be fantastic. It’s not always necessary to tramp far to enjoy the terrain in either Australia or NZ. We are reminded of the short hikes near Cradle Mountain Lodge like the Enchanted Walk and Pencil Pine Creek. Resurgence falls into this same category. We enter through a Maori arch as this is a sacred or tapu site for the Maori. Riuwaka as they call it served as a site of rejuvenation for Hui Te Rangiora, an early Polynesian explorer who bathed in the river’s healing waters after an expedition to Antarctica. Resurgence is known as the site of the Riwaka River. Water works its way through the surrounding kaarst hillsides through a network of caves and emerges at this magical spot. We take photos of the forest and water before driving to Hawkes Lookout where we can make out the river from above and figure out where we had been far below. There are views to Motueka and Nelson on a clear day. We plan to go to Harwood’s Hole for a hike but the road looks too challenging for our 2WD car so we return to the sealed road and decide to go as far as Takaka.

Flat Whites at the Wholemeal Cafe

The Wellington branch of the Wood family comes to Golden Bay every January for their ‘hols’ so we are motivated to investigate. We plan to go as far as Takaka. I read in the guidebook about the Wholemeal Cafe so we decide to include it in our best flat white in NZ contest. Takaka reminds us of a town in the Russian River Valley of Northern California called Forrest. It has a genuine 1960s flavour to it with shops selling clothing reminiscent of the era.  The Wholemeal Cafe is funky, a bit like the Red Velvet Lounge in Cygnet on Bruny Island. It’s painted in vivid shades of blue, orange and yellow with posters of Miles Davis, Marilyn Monroe and Casablanca adorning the walls. We order our coffee and take a seat and the server, a man of our vintage, offers to take our photo, then we enjoy lingering for awhile overhearing locals talk of their Christmas plans. We could be in a Berkeley, California cafe on a slow day.

An American girl working at the iSite discourages us from going to Totoaranui down the 14km gravel track and sends us to a short walk at Pupu Springs, another tapu site with beautiful artesian springs of the purest water imaginable. The springs provided water for healing and were places of ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death. We enjoy our packed lunch overlooking Te Waikoropupu springs wishing we could touch this pure water. To protect the purity of the water, the Dept. of Conservation has posted notices forbidding any human contact.

After our hike we drive as to the beach at Pakawau just beyond Collingwood trying to remember where the Woods rent their cottage. I take the wheel and drive back over the Takaka Hill as Duncan is tired of driving. I quite enjoyed swerving around the bends at low speed. One switchback has a 15 km recommended speed posted.

Iconic Split Apple Rock

Returning to Marahau we detour to see Split Apple Rock from the beach. We take a trail called Moonraker Way and come upon a small deserted beach much nicer than Kaiteriteri in our opinion. Upon returning to the car we photograph the blooming NZ flax and a beautiful bell bird arrives. I take lots of photos but wish I had taken a video. I switch the camera to video mode and follow the movements of a beautiful tui that comes quite close. Though we haven’t walked very far in kilometres we’ve enjoyed our day.