Golden Bay in a Day

Departing 8.30am from your Nelson accommodation this fully catered and interpretive journey into Golden Bay is a scenic feast of diverse landforms, nestled between the mountains of Kahurangi National Park and the stunningly beautiful golden sands of Abel Tasman National Park.

Sole access is by a single road over Takaka Hill that leaves from almost sea-level to reach an altitude of 800 metres through a mix of mature native forest remnants, regenerating scrub, managed forest and farmland and in between alternating views of both national parks with the orchards and Tasman Bay below.

There are always plenty of opportunities for photos with a short walk to a viewing platform through ancient granite and marble rock outcrops and into a quaint forest remnant or entering Ngarua cave to exit near a Hobbit film location site.  This alpine region provides spectacular views, fascinating rock formations and sink holes interspersed with grassland meadows.

Descending into Golden Bay the mountains of Kahurangi loom large above the predominantly dairy farmland with distance views of the internationally renowned wildlife reserve of Sandspit over the township of Takaka which is as interesting as its inhabitants and often described as a hippy village that attracts artisans from around the world. 

Close by is Te Waikoropupu Springs which are the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand, the largest cold water springs in the southern hemisphere and is the clearest water ever measured in the world. This small area surrounding the springs is wahi tapu, a place held in high cultural and spiritual regard by Maori, is steeped in gold mining history and is the perfect place to observe the many stages of re-vegetation of a unique indigenous forest that contains a huge collection of plants including mature beech and podocarp forest.      

Towards the eastern side of Golden Bay the road passes through a natural hole and alongside amazing limestone formations to the Abel Tasman memorial lookout and the golden sands of Ligar Bay and Tata beach before walking into Abel Tasman National Park to see Wainui Falls, the largest waterfall in the region.                                            

No visit is complete without uncovering a hidden secret. A fascinating limestone area shaped and worn by strong undersea currents before being thrust up from the ocean into a sub-tropical climate that supports a unique collection of plants, some with strange habits and incredible stories.