Saturday 18 March: Weather 15°C to 25°C fine and sunny
Bike ride to Farewell Spit: 65 k cycle
Accommodation: Herron’s Rest
Low tide Golden Bay
Highlight was getting to Farewell Spit on our bikes and having coffee overlooking the famous landmark.
Breakfast on the patio with muesli toasted raisin bread and jam - so much to eat that we take some raisin toast for morning tea. Judy and Russell have kindly offered to loan us their mountain bikes and we’ve decided to ride the 25k out to the start of Farewell Spit - a famous nesting grounds for 300,000 birds on their way to Siberia. After adjusting seats and pumping up tyres we’re on our way. A bit concerned about this busy road but although there’s some traffic, it’s all going our way with nothing coming back towards us so there’s plenty of room to pass us safely. It’s a very pretty ride along the edge of Golden Bay.
Cycling to Farewell Spit
After a 2hr bike ride we’re at the Farewell spit cafe at 11.30am drinking a beautiful Cappuchino overlooking the spit. There’s many guided eco tours using big aeroplane-sized tyres to drive tourists along the sandy spit that stretches for a further 20k. But we’re happy to sit and watch before heading back via View Road to the other side of the headland. It’s now high tide and the beach looks completely different. The road is a little busier with camper vans all going our way - from Farewell Spit back to Collingwood but with no traffic coming towards us, again there was plenty of room to pass in safety. At Pakawau, we turn off the road to see the Whanganui Inlet on the other side of the headland. Not worth the extra 20k round trip - just a large inlet with plenty of sandflies and lots of fishing boats coming and going.
Bird Migrations from Farewell Spit
Start of Farewell Spit
Low tide back to Collingwood
Rough road to Whanganui Inlet
Lunch spot Pakawau Hall
Very low tide - 5 metre drop
Washing and dinner Herron’s Nest
Once back to the main beach road, it’s lunch of raisin bread on the steps of the Pakawau Hall and then on to Collingwood and Herron’s Nest. More washing then back down the hill to buy a bottle of Sav Blanc and beer to have with our salad ham and pastrami. I watch a corny religious movie - Redemption Ride - because it was advertised as a cycling movie. But it was far from the standard of the latest Lance Armstrong movie The Plan ?? Then bed.