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Golden Bay Activities "Our Selection"
Farewell Spit (Onetahua)
This nature reserve is home to 83 species of native and migratory wetland birds.
- Farewell Spit Eco Tours -- Phone: 03 524 8257
Offers 4 different trips, departure times are subject to tides.
Tasman Street, Collingwood.
- Farewell Spit Nature Experience -- Phone: 03 524 8992
4 hour and 6 hour nature tours.
Old School Cafe,
Pakawau.
Cape Farewell Horse Treks -- Phone: 03 524.8031
Organises day (1.5 hrs) and 4 day overnight treks.
23 McGowan Street,
Puponga.
Golden Bay Connections -- Phone: 03 525 7678
Offers a range of Abel Tasman National Park & Golden Bay tours.
800 Abel Tasman Drive, Pohara
Golden Bay Kayaks & Hire (Abel Tasman) -- Phone: 03 525 9095
Golden Bay Art Trail
Visit galleries, shops, studios and meet the Golden Bay artists.
Get an art trail map at the Golden Bay visitor information centre.
Willow Street, Takaka
Kahurangi National Park & Heaphy Track
More info.
Abel Tasman National Park
KAHURANGI NATIONAL PARK
The western flanks of Golden Bay are protected by the peaks of the Mt Arthur Range and the Tasman Mountains in Kahurangi National Park, which, with an area of 4520 square kms, is New Zealand’s second largest. Kahurangi is not for the faint-hearted, but is sure to reward those who venture into it with many unforgettable memories. Geologists and cavers will enjoy the diverse geology of the park. Tracts of sedimentary rock, tormented upwards by ancient upheavals are carved in places, by the march of long-gone glaciers, into river valleys such as the Cobb, dotting it with lakes, and leaving behind the traces of discarded moraine. Elsewhere, limestone and marble prevail, fostering an abundance of caves, bluffs, natural arches, and sinkholes sculpted by wind and water. The gently rolling expanse of the Tableland, an uplifted plateau, is home to high country tussock and alpine meadow plants, but below the tree line, subtropical rainforest, podocarp and beech forests soften the harsh contours of the land. This huge wilderness area is home to many species of wildlife, including the threatened great spotted kiwi, the inquisitive and cheeky native kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, and the amazing Powelliphanta, a carnivorous native land snail which grows up to 10cm in diameter on its diet of native worm. The Park’s most famous tramp, the 78.4km Heaphy Track, leads southwest from the junction of the Aorere and Brown Rivers near Collingwood, in Golden Bay, to Kohaihai, near Karamea on the West Coast. Crossing the Perry Saddle and the expansive tussock-laced Gouland Downs, the track descends to the subtropical forests, nikau palms and untamed seas of the West Coast. Road access to Kahurangi is at Motueka, Takaka, Collingwood, Tapawera, Murchison, and on the west coast near Karamea.
