In my continuing counter-clockwise exploration of the South Island, I departed Picton and headed west and then north for a long drive up to the very farthest one can get in the northwest corner, Wharariki Beach.  My research identified a campground just off the beach and I booked it for two nights, anticipating I would want to relax after the five plus hour drive it would take to get there.  I took the scenic route west, hugging the coastline, as I drove from Picton to Nelson where I would pick up highway 60 to go north.  I stopped in Nelson to stock up on food and gas as I was not sure what kind of selection would be available in the numerous small towns I encountered along the drive.  I was certain that I would be completely off the grid at the campground, however!

After my quick stop in Nelson I continued up the coastline.  Since it was Sunday there was not a lot of traffic out and I only occasionally had to pull over to let faster moving traffic by.  The weather was great–sunny and warm– making the twists, turns and switchbacks I had to navigate over the Takaka Pass fairly easy.  There was a lot of roadwork going on, including a one-way section of the pass that created long queues as cars waited for the oncoming traffic to clear the narrow section.  Once through the pass, the road descended into a valley populated with farms of various sorts.  Takaka was the main town in this area, population 1,430, so the population density in this part of the island is pretty sparse.  At Collingwood (population 310), the last town on route 60, the paved road turned to gravel and I wondered what I was getting myself into.  After about 30 minutes, though, the signs for the campground appeared and I was reassured that I was in the right place.  I checked in and selected one of the six powered slots, set up, then went exploring.  There was a path to the beach right next to the car park for the cafe (can you believe there is a cafe out in the middle of nowhere!).  Hiking up and over a hill, 20 minutes later I was at the edge of Wharariki beach.  The beach faces directly west, exposed to the Tasman Sea, and consequently the wind was incredibly strong.  I held the hood of my rain jacket (which was serving as a wind breaker) over my face to keep the flying sand from stinging me.  It felt like gale force winds as I struggled to walk forward towards the water’s edge.

Wharariki Beach looking left as I emerged from the path. Large and desolate!

Wharariki Beach looking to the right. Still large and desolate!

Even though it was very remote, there were several clusters of people dotted along the beach.  I headed towards the left to one group who were hanging out by some caves. It also had the benefit of being shielded somewhat from the ferocious and cold wind.  The caves did not appear to go very deep, or at least I did not go very deep into them as I did not have my flashlight and the one on my cell phone was unequal to the task.  After lingering for a bit, enjoying the respite from the wind, I headed over to the other group, stationed around a cluster of rocks, which I was pretty sure where the sea lion pups were swimming.  As I got closer I saw that my assumption was correct, except there was only one lone sea lion, surrounded by eager paparazzi, trying to get the best shot.  I was really getting chilled so I decided to start the trek back to the campground and warm up in my cozy camper van.  I cannot understate the strength of the wind!

View looking out from inside the cave mouth on the beach.

It was a quiet night, with only three or four campers in residence, and as I contemplated the area and my original plan I decided to only stay one night and instead make my way down the coast and try freedom camping somewhere the following night. There are two great apps for finding campgrounds (and other camping related infrastructure like dump stations, grocery stores, gas stations, etc..)– RankersCamping NZ and CampMate–and I consulted both to find a prospective freedom site near Motueka.  Motueka seemed like a great place to stay as it was on other side of the pass and near the southern route I would need to take the day after to start. my journey towards the west coast of the island.  Since freedom camping is first come, first serve I also targeted a couple of backup sites.  My desired spot was right on the coast line up against the Golden Bay so I was hoping that would work out.

Having a plan, I got up early and was on the road by 7:30.  Before I headed down the coast I wanted to hike along Puponga beach where it faces the bay.  If you look at a map of the South Island, this is the little extension of land that juts out east at the northern tip of the island.  Unsurprisingly I was the only person on the beach and had a wonderful couple of hours walking around.  When I arrived the tide was out and the tidal flats were exposed but I was there long enough to see everything covered by water as the tide slowly reversed.  There were birds everywhere and because this spit of land faced the bay instead of the Tasman Sea, the wind was manageable– it was a pleasant walk.  Finished with my stroll, I got out my chair and had breakfast watching the bird activity.  I saw no one until I was leaving, when another person arrived, likely with the same idea I had- to take a peaceful walk on the beach.

When I got to the beach the tide was out and the birds were standing on the mud flats.

After an hour or so I noticed the tide started to come in and the mud flats disappeared. I remember hearing that the tide is a meter or two in this part of the country.

Back in the van, I headed south down the valley to the pass to repeat the numerous twists, turns and switchbacks that define the climb up to the pass and the descent down the other side.  Like before, I paid close attention to those behind me and pulled over when I could to let them pass.  I wonder what it is like in summer on these roads with so many camper vans traveling at all kinds of speeds.  I suspect the locals get frustrated!  Eventually, around 1pm, I got back to Motueka, after stopping along the way to view Golden Bay from different scenic viewpoints, and headed straight for the freedom camping site at the port.  I was in luck, there were plenty of space free and so I slotted right into one, claiming it for the night.  Freedom camping is for self-contained vehicles, which I had.  But I also noticed that this site supported a wider variety of vehicle configurations.  There were many regular vans (not self-contained), one group with a tent, and a guy with what looked like a small grocer’s truck.

There were a LOT of washed up jellyfish, some very large like this guy. I have no idea if they are reclaimed when the tide comes in or if their gig is up once they are beached.

Since it was a nice day and fairly early, I decided to walk to the town center to pick up a few things I still needed.  Motueka (population 8,360) has several blocks of stores along the highway and I had high hopes of a successful search.  The walk was about 45 minutes as the port was south of town and as the day was pleasant it was nice to get out and stretch my legs.  Luckily I found everything I was looking was back at the campground a couple of hours later; almost all of the parking spaces were filled.  I spent some time preparing a simple dinner then, as the sun was setting and the air getting chilly, closed up and withdrew into, yep,  my cozy camper van!  Sometime around midnight I woke up and heard rain hitting the roof and had a spare thought or two for the poor tent campers, but myself being dry and warm, simply rolled over and went back to sleep.

The next morning it was still raining and according to the forecast would be until at least noon.  I got a late start as I was not in a particular hurry; my next stop was only two hours away although I hoped to do some exploring on the way.  I treated myself to a lamb pie (when in New Zealand….) at a cafe and headed south out of town.  Unfortunately the rain stayed with me the whole drive to Murchison.  Even with the clouds and mist, however, it was a pretty drive.  The road out of Motueka wound its way through a valley along the Motueka river, south of the border of Kahurangi National Park, where I was hoping to do some hiking.  The river was raging, swollen and churning with muddy brown water, flooding its banks.  I did not think it had rained that much, but perhaps the rain, combined with the snow melt was the cause.

As I traveled through the valley, I found the numerous sheep I had expected to see all over New Zealand as pastureland surround both sides of the river.  There are not as many sheep in this country compared to when I was here decades ago; on my wine tour we were told that the ratio of sheep to people used to be 20:1, now it has decreased to a measly 5:1.  Nonetheless there were a lot in this valley!  I even passed a large deer farm (ranch? herder?). As I was driving I also saw some random whimsical lawn art.  One driveway had a 5 foot sculpture of the plant from Little Shop of Horrors with two legs sticking out of its mouth with a sign “Feed Me!”.  Another had a Spiderman figure climbing a very large tree trunk and yet another had what looked like three 15 foot tall red, yellow, and orange lollipops.  No clue, but it was amusing.

Swollen Buller River. Causing havoc with roads and bridges all over the place on the west coast.

I turned southwest on highway 6 leaving the Motueka River behind but immediately started paralleling the Buller River, also raging and overflowing its banks.  Unfortunately there was no hiking in my future because 1) it was raining and 2) the road was closed to the park.  I executed Plan B which was to visit the famous 171m swinging bridge, that sits 2m over the Buller river.  The bridge is the longest swinging bridge in New Zealand and is a must-see.  For those who like to zipline you can walk over the bridge and zipline back.  But that plan was also thwarted– the river levels and ferocity meant the bridge was closed.  As a matter of fact, part of the highway through the area was closed as well. Having no Plan C, I headed to my campground, checking in early, to do a much needed, but mundane task –  laundry.

The road closures were a wake-up call and after chatting with the gentleman at reception who checked me in I also sat down to plan my next few days travel.  The rains, which apparently will be continuing for the next few days (spring on the west coast of New Zealand), are wreaking havoc with the roads.  I got out my maps and itinerary to figure out whether or not I could even get to where I was wanting to go (I can, but with a detour).  On the negative side it looks like I am going to be in constant rain for the next several days.  On the positive side, even just driving down the roads here, the scenery is spectacular and I have my cozy camper van to keep me warm and snug!

Wonderful spot to spend the night even with the noise of the torrential water in the river.