10 spots to explore in and around Golden Bay

On a recent holiday in our camper, we had more time to explore in and around Golden Bay. This is an amazing part of New Zealand and it was great see it in more depth.

While we have walked the Able Tasman we have not been over Takaka hill for 20 years.  To ensure I actually write this blog I’ve gone with the ’10 spots’ to explore in and around Golden Bay. There is so much more to see and do. Some spots you know of might be missing, feel free to add them in the comments. There is also a bit of a catch all at the end. Hopefully there is enough to entice you to climb over the Takaka Hill.

The blog starts with a few days in Kaiteritere and Motueka before heading over the hill to Golden Bay proper.

1   Janie Seddon wreck

The Janie Seddon was a ship used in both WW1 and WW2 before sinking on her mooring in 1950 at the Wharf in Motueka. She was stripped of everything useful and left to the elements. Probably not the best for the environment but she is fun to photograph. Or just watch as the sun rises or sets. I had two mornings here. One with the tide in, but a long way away and an awful lot of mud, the other with the tide going out but water still around her.  She is very close to the shore so incredibly easy to find along the waterfront.

Where we stayed: Kaiteriteri recreation reserve (full facilities). Its a 20 minute drive to the wreck, I was watching the sunrise all the way hoping it would last. On our second visit we freedom camped at the Port Motueka Beach Reserve (toilets and water). Shots from this are with spot 2.

Tips: If photographing here the locals have put some stepping stones up to the hull– very helpful.  If you want a little water around the ship then maybe about mid tide 3-4 hours after low tide or before high tide… tides are never that simple it may just give you an idea. Gumboots are good but that suction clay can play havoc if you stand still for too long.

2   Riuwaka resurgence

This is a well-recognised spot to visit and there is lots of information on the doc site.   It’s where the Riuwaka river comes out after going through – well under really – the Takaka Hill. A very short walk (10-15 mins). You go through beautiful bush, moss covered trees and clear water making little water falls over the rocks along the way. 

Where we stayed: We came here after visiting the Janie Seddon early in morning. Great time to visit as we almost had it to ourselves. We freedom camped at the Port Motueka Beach Reserve.  The camp is not right by the port so not noisy and has a lovely green park right beside it.  There are other freedom camping places along the road to the resurgence though that looked very pretty.

Tips: It’s a 7km drive in from where the road turns off at the bottom of the Takaka Hill. It’s a very sharp turn if you are coming down Takaka Hill so could be easy to miss. It is well signposted though. Just stay on the sealed road

3    Salmon farm

If you enjoy salmon and want to have a go at fishing this is a fun stop off. Just as you leave the Takaka hill and before Takaka there are signposts to Anatoki Salmon, its about 5km.  There is a simple but lovely café and then you grab a line and go fish for your salmon. You could hardly say it’s a sport there are so many salmon in the pond. Its good fun though if you don’t fish much.  Once caught they will fillet it or smoke it for you in a range of beautiful flavours.  I caught the fish this time and we got it filleted for tea that night at Tōtaranui, see tips below.

Where we stayed:  We came from Kerikeri campground and ended the day at the beautiful doc site at Tōtaranui.  If you want to stay at the Anatoki, they have freedom camping in a paddock right next door. No facilitates but very pretty.

Tip: You pay for what you catch, so if you catch a big one be prepared to pay for it. We got the perfect sized one and at $32 a kg for the fun and freshness we were very happy. If you don’t have a lot of time pinch a kids rod as they are baited: that’s how I caught mine!

4   Tōtaranui

What to say about this very popular and absolutely beautiful part of the Able Tasman national park. It is just magical.  It’s a drive over a gravel road to get there and its a little windy. There are many campsites, each area has a toilet block with cold shower, water and some also an outside kitchen. In summer it is packed but in March it was just perfect. Few people around but basically quiet and the sandflies and mosquitos not bad at all.  We swam, Cam dived, went for walks on the beach, took photos of birds, read books.  There are numerous beautiful half and full day walks we have done on other trips but not this time. We also got two amazing nights of the moon rising with the orange ball coming out of the sea right in front of us. Have I sold it to you yet!

Where we stayed:  We picked a site up by the boat launch as it was so quiet and close for Cam to go diving and for me to explore the estuary for birds.  No powered sites.

Tips: Go at this time of the year and beat the crowds while the weather is still lovely – I swam every day!

5  Tata Bay / Wainui falls

This whole area is just stunning. There is the lovely waterfall walk to Wainui falls (a perfect 1hr return including stops), walking to the Able Tasman monument look out, swimming in the beautiful bays, exploring around Port Tarakohe and keeping a close eye out for little blue penguins.

While we based ourselves at the Port we biked all around the area including to the local restaurants in Pōhara for tea, checking out the penguin nesting boxes and watching schools of Kahawai and massive stingrays.

We also got a fantastic sunset here with stormy clouds to the West.

Where we stayed: We stayed at the NZ Motor Caravan Association site at the port which has access to toilets and coin operated showers and laundry at the adjacent Yatch Club.

Tips: Go for a walk to the waterfall, on a hot day the bush will be very welcoming. The port can be noisy but mostly was fine. Each bay has something beautiful to offer with the classic golden sand.

6    Collingwood

Collingwood is a popular spot being somewhere near the middle really and also the stop off point before starting the Heaphy Track.  We found this just the best place to stop for a few days and just relax. The camping ground was one of the best we have been too and our site was right on the estuary river.  I love the changing tides in the estuary as it brings different birds and tidal sculptures to the sand so I was very content. Great cafes and just magical views up the coast. Collingwood was an unexpected highlight for us.

Where we stayed: Collingwood Beach Motor Camp. Fantastic and clean facilities, right on the river. A great place to catch up on washing and sorting the camper. There is even a herb garden outside the kitchen.

Tips: We stayed at a beach front sight which we just loved and very few bugs but it was also hot sunny and no wind so that probably helped too.  Start saving up $1 and $2 coins before you travel we had heaps and were very pleased we did.

7    Wharariki Beach

This is probably the most well known and popular part of Golden Bay but being up at the very very top it might not get everyone to go there. Make sure you do not miss it. Its not just the classic elephant stack that is mind blowing in its size but there are endless caves to explore and climb over. See tips below for when to visit.  The first time we went and stayed here the weather was not great being grey and cloudy but there were glimmers of colour and it was still incredible to explore.  We went back on a sunny day but were almost too long after the tide to explore it all.

There were often shags and gulls handing around and make sure you check caves before going in as seals were relaxing in them during the day.

Where we stayed: Wharariki Campground. This is a great but basic camping ground, powered sites and compostable toilets with coin operated showers. Its also bring in and out your own rubbish which is just fine as long as your prepared for it. They have a large common room which on one wet day we had all to ourselves and was just perfect for catching up on a few things. Very limited to no Wi-Fi. You can purchase it if you are desperate, but I loved being off line.

Tips: To get the most out of this beach tides are important. 1-2 hours either side of low tide (ideally 1hr) will allow you to explore all the caves right along the whole beach. Do the Nikau Palm walk one way and then back over farmland to ensure you explore it all. If your later than that there is still things you can explore but at hightide you won’t be able to go right along the beach.

You do have to walk through some quite sinky sand dunes so be ready for that – lots of people just took off their shoes which works perfectly.

8    Farewell Spit

This was an absolute must do for me. I had considered taking a tour but with COVID at peak I didn’t want to be in a bus for 6hrs with strangers so we walked what we could instead.  We did the 3hr walk first going through farmland then along the vast wide-open ocean side before crossing and coming back to the carpark along the Golden Bay side. This seemed perfect to me but you could easily do it in reverse its pretty much flat.

I loved the incredible expanse of it. You watched people walking towards you like they were a mirage, and they took forever to get close. The bird life was what blew me away, being a self-confessed bird nerd.  Terns, oyster catchers, godwits, dotterels all in huge groupings. The dunes were beautiful and while not huge high ones at this point of the spit they were certainly impressive.

Where we stayed:  We came here from the Collingwood Campground and then stayed the night freedom camping in the Whanganui Inlet (see below for details).  There are camping grounds close by including the Wharariki one but no camping at the carpark for the walks.

Tip: This is another low tide activity I would suggest. We didn’t find much information on it and you could probably do it either tide but there would be a lot of walking on dunes which would be quite challenging for that long. Also with the low tide you get the full expanse of the spit.  We started around low tide so would have been a few hours into it coming in as we came back on the Golden Bay side.

9    Whanganui Inlet

The Whanganui Inlet was by far our highlight. I think in large part because we were not sure what to expect and of course because it was stunning.   It was later in the day after walking along the spit so I was a bit tired and not sure I felt like a drive to the unknown but wow so pleased we did.

Every turn is another amazing bay full of bush and reflections. In the distance are beautiful, sculptured hills, bays going right out to the sea. It really is breath-taking. There is also a swamp and bird sanctuary that we had a quick walk up to but the day was drawing to a close so we have that do do another time.  We freedom camped on farmland on the other side on the inlet just the middle of nowhere which ended up being stunning for sunset.

The next morning, we left early to capture sunrise in the inlet along the way – it was so beautiful, the colours, the mist, the magic. We stopped by one beautiful bay to make our breakfast of pancakes and coffee.

We made one final detour before heading out to the Kaihoka lakes. So worth it, beautiful to swim in, stunning bush and reflections all in the middle of farmland.  Just a note, there is little parking here. In our camper we could get off the road but anything much bigger you couldn’t easily.

Where we stayed: Paturau Beach in Mangarākau. This is a very basic paddock not flat or prepared for camping and no facilities, but we found a good spot and loved it. The beach is a classic West Coast stony beach but has some awesome rock features at the south end. It’s a pack in pack out campsite.

Tips: The inlet is a lot of mud flats and estuaries so its probably best seen when the tide is closer to high, we saw it both at high and low tide and loved the views both ways but you miss the reflections in the mud.

The road is gravel and narrow so there were few places to safely pull off in the camper. Its not a busy road but there was traffic consistently. A car might be better but it’s still narrow.

10    Abel Tasman Great Walk

We did this walk a few years ago, my first trip with a ‘real’ camera.  It was this time of year also so I feel its ok to add it in here.  Truly you can’t visit this gorgeous area without exploring some if not all of this walk. It needs another whole blog on its own but if your exploring in and around Golden Bay its a must. As well as walking the whole thing you can just boat in and out and do day walks as well. Or just water taxi to a bay and hang out for the day. You can do this from the Mārahau end or from Tōtaranui.

These are just a neat tidy 10 but there is so much more to see and do like the crystal clear springs, massive caves, endless variety of beaches, walks and tours, whatever matches your interests. To finish off here are some more random shots taken in small stops along the way.  I would love to hear in the comments your favourite spots and any tips I have missed out on. I hope you get to enjoy it as much as we did and it definitely won’t be another 20 years before we are back there.

If you have enjoyed this please check out some of my other blogs and I am always happy to hear of ideas for the next one.