A Few Days At Port Tarakohe...

 I moved from the cafe car park, it was getting busy and crowded,

hot and dusty. Three kilometers round the road

is Port Tarakohe with a freedom park  managed by the boat cub

 for a donation with hot showers for $2, toilets and a washing 

machine... And grass - that lovely green stuff to park on.

There was quite a commuity of motor homes and

buses and it was interesting to meet fellow travels

when I haven't really been 'on the road' for a while.

This area looks out over the Port Tarakohe wharves and

marina... It used to be Golden Bay Cement.

 This was my daily walk... Just to have a look...

 One of the amazing rock fomation tunnels between Pohara and Totoranui.

 In the marina is this old Jacques Cousteau pirate boat. The owner roasts

and sells coffee. It attracts quite a crowd.

 Bit of a rusty heap but still afloat and an interesting design

 with a very high bow. The coffee and experience are highly rated.

 Looking back to where I am parked...

 And then... A close encounter with one of the many Stingrays

that cruise around in the warm water near the shallow edges.

 It was a very peaceful place, far from the maddening crowd

to spend a few hot days.

Exploring The Top Of The South...

 This is a map of the whole of the Golden Bay area...

Clifton and Pohara at the bottom and Farewell sand spit
across the top...

 This one from Tarakohe and Pohara, where I am, to Takaka...

 From Takaka north to Collingwood...

 And from Collingwood to Puponga and Farewell Spit.

This map is the top of the West Coast... The Wanganui Inlet...
Generally referred to by the locals as Westhaven.
I was out and about for the day with two friends. Our destination was
 Anatori where the Anatori river mouth is. Apparently it's a great
white-baiting spot, there are a few old white-baiters huts... But it's not the season.
There are also two areas for freedom parking, with some people...
A tent and a motor home, enjoying the wilderness and solitude.
I'm told it's a place that floods easily when it rains so if you go
there keep that in mind.

 

We set off... Our first stop was the Farewell Spit cafe with

very nice coffee and a selection of delicious food.

The most spectacular was the view. It was a cloudy

day so we couldn't see the spit, and the tide was out.

There is a telescope but even with that it was too cloudy.

There is a walkway down to the sand and you can walk along the

inside of the spit to the pine trees in the distance. I want to go

back by myself and do that. There is also Farewell Spit tours

that go along the beach as far as the lighthouse.  

I did that years ago but would like to do the trip again. 

There is another walkway that goes

over farmland then over sandhills to Wharariki... A hard flat

west coast beach with rocks sculpted by the wind.

I kept a look out for parking for my bus when I go back there

and take my time to explore in more detail. Wharariki Beach

Motor Camp would be the place.

We went back to the Pakawau Inlet and turned west onto a gravel

road that went a long way. Along Pakawau Bush Road, turn into 

Dry Road and just keep going.

These photos are a few glimpses of the inlet as we drove along.

We passed places called Muddy Creek, White Pine Creek, Bone

Creek... All with narrow bridges and nowhere much on

the side of the road to stop.

The is the mouth of the Wanganui Inlet... Bar Point on the right

and Melbourne Point on the left.

We came to Mangarakau and found this old wharf...

Still in use. It's where the Crayfish boats load up their pots...

Which is what the two men on this boat were doing.

I love eating crayfish so I asked if they would take a passenger?

They were more than happy but weren't returning till Tuesday.

Three days in a little boat if the weather turned rough...

Much as I wanted to go I declined.

On the information board are graphic pictures and a warning

about the weather and the bar at the inlet entrance.

Mmm... It would have to be very calm for me to go.

We continued our journey...

Moving On Again... 1st Stop... McKee Reserve

It was finally time to move on from Nelson. 

 My friend who had been sharing my bus with 

me went home to Christchurch, I packed up 

and headed further north... My next destination 

Pohara Beach 10 km east from Takaka.

 I have family living there, my oldest daughter

and her family. They have lived in this area

for about 27 years so I have come this way

often but not in my bus before.

On the way I had to stop at one of my favourite

places - McKee Reserve. It used to be on the main

highway but not anymore, likewise Mapua and

the delicious smoked fish. A new fast road has been

built that means you have to turn off and make these

two places a special visit.

I have been stopping here for as long as I have  been

coming to Golden Bay. It has lots of 'grandchildren'

memories of playing, swimming and collecting stones.

As well as a picnic place it is a camping ground with

lots of trees and parking, toilets, cold water and showers.

I love the beach... And

the distant views... The tide is out.

Nelson in the distance nestled into the foothills.

It's a stony beach... Rocks and driftwood.

Looking north...

I wandered along the beach in both directions...

Looking for coloured stones among the many

that were washed up by the tide and all 

along the beach.

These are the few that I kept... Quite an array of

beautiful colours. I spray stones and

shells I want to keep with a spray can of polyurethane.