Exploring the North West Corner of South Island
After checking out Nelson and the Abel Tasman Hike, there was still plenty to see beyond the Golden Bay region. Below are some of the better sights from my travels around Golden Bay all the way to Cape Farewell.
Rawhiti Cave
Between Abel Tasman National Park and Kahurangi National Park lies Rawhiti Cave. It’s not a well signposted detour and requires navigation to find generally as it’s not a major tourist attraction. It’s about a 40 minute walk from the park to the cave itself. The final 15 minutes are up a very steep and muddy slope. The cave is a phytokarst system i.e. it is formed from the combination of calcium precipitates (like most caves) AND sun loving organisms such as algae or moss. The cave formations actually grow towards the light sources! It’s a unique cave.
The Grove is a small walkway between cool rocks and forest – a nice little detour.
Te Waikoropupu Springs
These natural springs contain beautiful fresh water rising out of the ground below in force. There is so much pressure, you cab even seen the ripples of the water and sand dancing around where eater is rushing out.
Wharariki Beach and Cape Farewell
You may have seen some iconic beach photos on your stock windows 10 backgrounds with giant rock formations. This is located around Wharariki Beach – a very very flat beach with off white sand and amazing views. It even hosts fur seals, especially young pups along its Rocky sections. If you walk further north and up onto the headland, you will head towards Cape Farewell, the northern most point of South Island. This section contains lovely rolling green hills and steep cliffs to secluded beaches below where you scan spot even more seals.
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