Earth, Water, Wind and Fire
Golden Bay to Murchison › Tasman
Because we live near the very top of the North Island and regularly take our visitors to Cape Rēinga, we decided that this year our own road trip would incorporate the northernmost point of the South Island, Farewell Spit.
State Highway 60, beginning near Nelson, is the only way to get to that point by road, and while we were in Nelson we learnt that our walk up Botanical Hill had led us to what had once been surveyed as the centre of New Zealand. We’ve since found that the centre is actually in the Spooner Ranges, but it was a pleasant walk through the Botanic Gardens to the summit where there were fantastic views over the port and beyond.
The following day it took us a while to wend our way up Takaka Hill as we had to wait at traffic lights at a point on the hill where the road became one-way for a distance. Repair workers are doing a marvellous job, but damage to the road during Cyclone Gita was so significant that it’s taking a very long time to remediate. Near the top of the hill, Hawkes Lookout promised views back over Tasman Bay towards Nelson, Motueka and Māpua following a short walk past some interesting rock formations. The
