Puponga

From the car park, it is only about a 10 minute walk up to the look out point for Cape Farewell. While this is a cool view, it is not worth the drive to just turn around at that point. From the viewing platform, there is a track that goes both left and right, climbing along the ridge line and tops of the cliffs along the waters edge.I started going to the right first, climbing up the hills, alw...

The very northern tip of the South Island in NZ lies one of the best beaches around. The hike into the beach is very straight forward, easy, and short. Only 1 kilometer through some pasture lands, over a couple fences (using steps) and you hit the wonderful sand taking you the rest of the way to the beach.The track starts at the end of Wharariki road, plenty of parking in a big car park. There ...

Although the drive seems to be taking you to the end of the earth, reaching the Farewell Spit is just a 2 hour drive north of Nelson, and just an hour past Motueka. The aptly named Farewell Spit Cafe was a good starting point, with a great vista of the sand spit and information on tracks and trails through the park. I spent a whole two days getting lost in the caves and wandering the seemingly ...

The common route to Boulder Lake - via Brown Cow Ridge - begins at a small and slightly obscure trailhead near the town of Bainham which is approximately a 20 minute drive from the coastal town of Collingwood in the Tasman region. The trailhead only accommodates parking for perhaps two vehicles - but this shouldn't be a problem due to its limited visitation. The first 5 km (3 miles) of the trai...

See "Backpack to Boulder Lake for the first half of this trip. From Boulder Lake Hut cross the stream in the direction indicated by the sign at the most advantageous point. There is no evident trail through the tussock so make your way to the spur at the head of the valley that leads to Green Saddle in the best way you can. There is a marsh not far from the hut that can be skirted by sticking t...

The walk around Te Waikoropupu springs is a very easy, flat walk that anybody can do.As you leave the carpark, you do a little bit of descent down towards the water. You walk along some board walks over a little stream that flows beneath your feet. After winding through some forest, the track comes out right next to the springs.The springs are truly incredible. Even on a rainy, overcast day, it...

Getting to this hike is a bit of a drive. It is 11km off of HWY 60, just north of Motueka. The road is unsealed, and quite narrow at points. If there is another car coming the other direction, be prepared for a tight squeeze. The road climbs up Tanaka Hill, and the descends down towards Canaan Carpark and the trailhead for Harwood Hole.The first half of this trail is flat, easy, and fast. Cruis...

While the full track can take multiple days to complete, this adventure describes a section that can be completed in a long day hike.Leaving from Marahau, take a water taxi north to Bark Bay. Here, you'll begin hiking south back to Marahau, a trip of around 25km. The trail winds down the coast, eventually reaching Torrent Bay, which if you time incorrectly can add mileage to your hike because ...

This beautiful national park can be explored by boat and/or by foot, so we decided to incorporate both before catching a jet boat back to Marahau. The entire coastal track is almost 50 km one-way without side trips, and the coastline can also be done entirely by kayak. Before arriving in Marahau, we arranged kayak rentals and camping reservations at the visitor center in Motueka.Day 1We launche...