Before I tell you about the trip to Golden Bay, I should
tell you the exciting things I have been up to in Murchison lately. On
Thursday, Felix took us out on the Maruia River for our first taste of New
Zealand fly-fishing. The wind was howling, it wasn’t exactly warm, and my
waders didn’t exactly fit, and I’m not exactly a pro at crossing rivers, but it
sure was great to be out there! Needless to say, we didn’t catch any fish – YET
– but our casting is improving and we’re getting our river legs. I’m hoping it
won’t be long until I can post a picture of my first NZ brown trout.
On Friday night, we went out a bar (one of two) in Murchison
with our new friend/ORL guest, a 28 year old Army helicopter pilot stationed in Afghanistan. We went to the Hampden, which is known as the locals
bar, because the Commercial, supposedly the tourist bar, was already closed for the
evening at 9:30. Picture this: Murchison’s finest senior citizens getting down
to some 80s and 90s classics. We have been told that Murchison gets busy in the
summertime because it is the whitewater rafting and kayaking capital of NZ –
c’mon tourists!
This weekend Becky and I went on our first NZ adventure. We
set out for Golden Bay, a region in the northwest of the South Island located on
the Tasman Bay. Our first stop was for lunch in a relatively happening little
town called Motueka – and we ate at Subway! The prospect of a turkey sandwich
was too good to resist. You know how I love a good sandwich, and turkey is
virtually nonexistent in NZ. Mary Charles, we wished you were there with
us!
Our next stop was Kaiteriteri Beach – oooweee so pretty. The
water here is bluer than blue. Hopped back into our faithful Capsy, and headed
up Takaka Hill, which was quite the driving experience. Capsy huffed and puffed
going up the hill, but zoomed all the way down. Quite possibly the curviest
section of road in the world. I was terrified that Becky was going to puke. Not
recommended for people with any sort of motion sickness. We stopped at some
cool lookouts on the way up, oh the views!
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| Kaiteriteri |
Finally got to Takaka, which is a laid-back hippie town, saw
a lot of dreadlocks and campervans. Went to Pupu Springs, which is actually the
clearest stream in the world despite a name that would make you think
otherwise. You can see straight to the bottom folks! Drove out to the Mussel
Inn, which had been highly recommended to us. This is definitely a must-do, if you’re
ever in the area. The Mussel Inn is a restaurant/bar/live music venue and is the place to go, both for locals and tourists. The brew all their own beers and
ciders, which Becky and I were happy to sample. We probably spent a good seven
hours here. First eating dinner (mussels for Beck, pie for me – New Zealanders
love their savory pies), then playing cards and talking with an older couple
who sat at our table – someone mistook them for our “Mum and Pops,” and then
hanging out around the bonfire with the crew for the Hobbit movie. No big deal.
Tried to get cast as a hobbit or elf or orc or anything, but they weren’t having
it. Then back to our hostel, Shambhala, which is run by an older hippie
Buddhist probably pot-smoking, mushroom-eating man. Had been a while since I
had stayed in any hostels…let’s just say they are not trying to impress anyone
with their housekeeping skills. But the location was perfect – on the beach!
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Pupu Springs
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Got up in the morning, took a quick walk down to the beach, drove to the town of Collingwood, not much to see there, and then out to Wharariki Beach!!! Amazing. Oh, I should tell you that “Wh” is actually pronounced “F.” Don’t ask me why. There is a 20-minute walk through some open farmland and some EXTREME COLD WINDS to get out to the beach, but it’s well worth all that. The beach was also quite windy, and the sea was very rough and choppy. I was expecting to see the rock islets with open archways (Google it) that I had seen in friends’ pictures, but was disappointed that the water was too high and rough to see this for myself. And I don't think we walked far enough to one end of the beach. I’ll be back! Then we headed to Farewell Spit, which is the crescent-shaped thing on the northwest top of the South Island. It actually looks like the beak of a Kiwi bird – and thus the surrounding area is called the Eye of the Kiwi. Look at a map and you’ll see.
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| Wharariki Beach |
By this point it was getting late in the day, and it was
time to head back – the nauseating drive awaited. But we will be back to Golden
Bay as we have yet to explore Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks – there
is great tramping (aka hiking) here, and we plan to return when we have a bit
more time off to play.
Now we are back home sweet home and on the lookout for some
new friends and some cute Kiwi kids to babysit! Do let me know if you know anyone in the Murchison area.
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| Kaiteriteri |
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| Hawkes Lookout |
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| Hawkes Lookout |
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| Hostel with a View |
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