This morning we awoke to the sounds of the crashing waves outside our window…and the alarm! At 6am we were up and readying ourselves to the Farewell Spit Eco Tour Office for a 6:45am check in.
When we set off heading out of Collingwood, the moon was still shining and the town was still asleep. We drove along small deserted roads through old coal and gold mining towns, that in their day were thriving, and now they are no more than sleepy holiday villages.
We arrived at the inner beach of Farewell Spit, New Zealand’s longest sand spit at 35 kms in length. We crossed the access track to the outer beach and started our drive up the beach, stopping to watch the cloudy sunrise.
The Spit is formed entirely from sand, which is derived from the erosion of granite and other rocks around the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers on the South Island’s west coast. It is transported northwards by coastal drift. The Spit is 800 metres wide and built of shifting sand dunes up to 20 metres high. It is also a nature reserve which is managed by NZ’s Department of Conservation.
We were lucky enough to be with one of the two tour companies that are granted special land access to this beautiful part of the country – public access is prohibited.
We drove up to the lighthouse at the far end of the Spit; there has been a lighthouse on this site since 1870, and it was fully manned until a couple of decades ago when the last Keeper retired and was never replaced.
Today the 3 Keepers cottages stand empty, and the only reminder of the life that these Keepers and their families had out on this isolated land was a photo album in the one cottage open for us to go in.
We were treated to a cup of coffee and muffin, and browsed around the memorabilia that the old house held, which included some fascinating whale bones.
Fully caffeinated we jumped back on the bus and drove out to ‘Bush End Point’ where we saw the gannets arriving for the start of their breeding season out on the dunes. We were also lucky enough to see our first New Zealand fur seal, we were enthralled as he made a dash for the safety of the sea.
After our great photo opportunity we drove back along the beach to one of the huge dunes…and were given the chance to climb it! After Ben’s idea from earlier (remember the light bulb photo?!)…he decided to dance his way down the dunes!
Once we had got thoroughly covered in sand we travelled down the beach to the headland, and after admiring the beautiful colours of the cliffs we chanced upon another NZ fur seal lazing by the rocks. We were able to sit close by and watch as he took the time to have a good scratch of his back.
Last stop on the tour was Cape Farewell, the most northerly point of the South Island. We ascended the lookout and took in the breathtaking sea views, and the colony of fur seals below on the rocks.
Back at Collingwood we jumped in our van and drove east on highway 60, retracing yesterdays footsteps. We have stopped for the night at a beach side town called Kaiteriteri, situated in Abel Tasman National Park.
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