The Golden Coast
This morning we wake up to a gale. There is quite a wind and with a high tide, we find the waves crashing along our shore right down the road from our cabin. There are extreme weather warnings out for later in the day. 
Rain is in the forecast so we decide to drive up the coast to see Cape Farewell. The drive up is interesting with at least five one lane bridges, multiple cow crossings and the road is as twisty and windy as always. We find the road sign for the cape and follow the path to the gate. I open the gate the gate and we drive into a field full of bulls. We can see another car in the car park on the other side of the field so we proceed in.
The car park is a fine piece of grass with a road in the middle. Beside the small lane in long grass and are three large bulls lying down. At first all we can see is their heads.
We have to go through another gate to get to the trek up the hill. It is a step climb, but once we get to the top the view is magnificent.
The Tasman Sea is so blue and raw, with the striking layers of rock jutting out of the green hill. It looks surreal. We watch the wave’s crash on the rocks far below. Despite the wicked sea there are some seals on the rocks. Even in a place so remote and unforgiving there is life. We were over 200m off the shore with sheer cliffs. The wind was extreme, so we were very careful of the edge.
On the way out we see a silly jackrabbit that teased us on the way in. He kept hopping back and forth across the road but now he is watching us sitting on the edge grooming his fur just like a cat.
At Farewell Spit we have our flat whites at the only café in the area. Their specialty is local
cockles. Alan and I are going to come back for these in a few days. Its glass walls look over the bay and towards the Farewell Spit, which is a protected area. The point, as well has having beautiful rock outcrops has this incredible spit that extends 35 km out into Golden Bay. It is a protected area as it is part of the East Asian – Australasian 
Fly way creating a fueling area for migratory birds heading north towards Asia and points north. There is a little viewing area so we take time to look out the window, use the telescope and read some of the provided literature.
Since it is such a rainy day, we decide to drive down all the no exit roads to the shore. We found the Onekaka wharf built for the gold mining days, but when we get to the end of the road the wharf is gone, except for the steel skeleton of the
original. It must have been quite the scene years ago in its glory as it stretches far out into the sea.
We walk the beach at Onekaka for about 30 minutes over the course stone. The colours are beautiful in the soft rain. We meet a couple of local women carrying a pail; they have been out collecting mussels for their dinner. They give us direc
tions on how to cook them, but we are a bit leery of collecting our own. There are so many marine reserves along the shore; the fines are extreme if caught. May be we will just go to the store and purchase a few.
Everywhere we go there are cow crossing signs. Today we watched 
a farmer bring his cattle across the highway, in to be milked.
This morning we wake up to a gale. There is quite a wind and with a high tide, we find the waves crashing along our shore right down the road from our cabin. There are extreme weather warnings out for later in the day. 
Rain is in the forecast so we decide to drive up the coast to see Cape Farewell. The drive up is interesting with at least five one lane bridges, multiple cow crossings and the road is as twisty and windy as always. We find the road sign for the cape and follow the path to the gate. I open the gate the gate and we drive into a field full of bulls. We can see another car in the car park on the other side of the field so we proceed in.
The car park is a fine piece of grass with a road in the middle. Beside the small lane in long grass and are three large bulls lying down. At first all we can see is their heads.
We have to go through another gate to get to the trek up the hill. It is a step climb, but once we get to the top the view is magnificent.
The Tasman Sea is so blue and raw, with the striking layers of rock jutting out of the green hill. It looks surreal. We watch the wave’s crash on the rocks far below. Despite the wicked sea there are some seals on the rocks. Even in a place so remote and unforgiving there is life. We were over 200m off the shore with sheer cliffs. The wind was extreme, so we were very careful of the edge.
On the way out we see a silly jackrabbit that teased us on the way in. He kept hopping back and forth across the road but now he is watching us sitting on the edge grooming his fur just like a cat.
At Farewell Spit we have our flat whites at the only café in the area. Their specialty is local
cockles. Alan and I are going to come back for these in a few days. Its glass walls look over the bay and towards the Farewell Spit, which is a protected area. The point, as well has having beautiful rock outcrops has this incredible spit that extends 35 km out into Golden Bay. It is a protected area as it is part of the East Asian – Australasian 
Fly way creating a fueling area for migratory birds heading north towards Asia and points north. There is a little viewing area so we take time to look out the window, use the telescope and read some of the provided literature.Since it is such a rainy day, we decide to drive down all the no exit roads to the shore. We found the Onekaka wharf built for the gold mining days, but when we get to the end of the road the wharf is gone, except for the steel skeleton of the
original. It must have been quite the scene years ago in its glory as it stretches far out into the sea.We walk the beach at Onekaka for about 30 minutes over the course stone. The colours are beautiful in the soft rain. We meet a couple of local women carrying a pail; they have been out collecting mussels for their dinner. They give us direc
tions on how to cook them, but we are a bit leery of collecting our own. There are so many marine reserves along the shore; the fines are extreme if caught. May be we will just go to the store and purchase a few.
Everywhere we go there are cow crossing signs. Today we watched 
a farmer bring his cattle across the highway, in to be milked.We stop on the next road down the highway and see some beautiful sand beaches and a rock outcrop. On this rocky outcrop there are lots of mussels. This is a protected area! We check on the way out and sure enough, we have been in a small reserve (protected mussels). That explains why there are so many large untouched ones.
Later we walk down the beach towards the cement plant. The tide is out so we can walk a long way on the sand. Several small creeks cross our path, so we tiptoe through the stream trying not to get our shoes wet. Actually jumped through them and ran through them. Of course we soaked our shoes. The evening was a bit cool and taking them off didn’t seem like a good idea…guess it was.
We at last are able to walk around these large stones. Unfortunately we are dive bombed by a couple of oystercatchers. They are bigger than a pigeon, with orange beaks about six inches long. I had to wave my rain coat to get out of the way of the birds. They were very upset and kept dive bombing Alan. I was certain they were going to hit him, as they were very close to his head. We later saw where their nest was. It was on top of the very rock we wanted to explore around. We were invading their territory.
To get a better look at the shore w
e had just missed, we climbed up to the road and walked around for a better view of the coast and the large pier. A popular place as we meet another other walkers. The mentioned to us that they had a group with children who were climbing around on the shore. We knew that the tide was quickly coming in, so we retrace our steps and discover that the other group, on the sand, is getting penned. Alan helped them safely climb up these steep rocks to the road. There was no path here, so they had to scramble through bush, gorse and steep rocks to the road. Here we find this beautiful sign, penguins. We have not seen any!!
Later we walk down the beach towards the cement plant. The tide is out so we can walk a long way on the sand. Several small creeks cross our path, so we tiptoe through the stream trying not to get our shoes wet. Actually jumped through them and ran through them. Of course we soaked our shoes. The evening was a bit cool and taking them off didn’t seem like a good idea…guess it was.
We at last are able to walk around these large stones. Unfortunately we are dive bombed by a couple of oystercatchers. They are bigger than a pigeon, with orange beaks about six inches long. I had to wave my rain coat to get out of the way of the birds. They were very upset and kept dive bombing Alan. I was certain they were going to hit him, as they were very close to his head. We later saw where their nest was. It was on top of the very rock we wanted to explore around. We were invading their territory.
To get a better look at the shore w
e had just missed, we climbed up to the road and walked around for a better view of the coast and the large pier. A popular place as we meet another other walkers. The mentioned to us that they had a group with children who were climbing around on the shore. We knew that the tide was quickly coming in, so we retrace our steps and discover that the other group, on the sand, is getting penned. Alan helped them safely climb up these steep rocks to the road. There was no path here, so they had to scramble through bush, gorse and steep rocks to the road. Here we find this beautiful sign, penguins. We have not seen any!!
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