Just past the gutted shell of the old cement works at Tarakohe the road rises to a hilltop car park at the Abel Tasman Memorial and it is only a couple of minutes walk to the tower and view-point. From there you will enjoy beautiful views over Tarakohe Harbour and Ligar Bay. The marble plaque remembers Abel Tasman, a Captain in the Dutch East India Company, and the crews of his two small ships, who on the 18th of December 1642 were the first Europeans to enter and anchor in what is now Golden Bay.
This small reserve (45 ha) has an easy, 10 minute walk through some enchanting coastal broadleaf forest between the two lakes. It is located near the northern end of Whanganui Inlet, 10 km west of Pakawau. The lakes occupy depressions in the undulating landscape and have no surface outlets. They are formed by sand dunes blocking valleys in the underlying sandstones and conglomerates. The prominent bluffs to the west, and extending north and south, are younger limestones, deposited on top of these Pakawau rocks.
From the car park at the end of Wharariki road, it is a 20 minute walk over rolling farm-land to Wharariki Beach, with its amazing sand dunes, caves and off-shore islands. At low tide you can walk along the beach to the ‘Stone Bridge’. Continue following the markers and you will come down to the Cape Farewell. Keep an eye peeled for seals sunning themselves on the rocks below! From here you can extend your walk over the hilltop track to the Farewell Spit.
At Clifton turn right and follow the signs for about 1km to a small car park and picnic area. “The Grove” is characterised by massive rata trees growing out of curiously-shaped limestone outcrops. Nikau palms are also a feature of the reserve. The track winds through the narrow canyons in the limestone ending up at a dramatic lookout offering views of the surrounding countryside, Golden Bay and the backdrop of the Kahurangi Park. In early summer the rata is a blaze of red but at any time of the year the short walk from the car park to the viewpoint is well worth the effort.
The Washbourn Scenic Reserve begins beside the highway, 15 km north of Takaka on the road to Collingwood – at Onekaka. This short, easy walk through gorgeous natural forest is approximately 15 minutes each way, and is well worth the detour from a drive along the highway. You will probably find yourself being followed by one of the resident fantails, hopping about while you enjoy the tranquility of this delightful little reserve. During your walk you’re likely to be followed by inquisitive fantails. If you’re lucky you may see a weta or two as well.
This is probably Golden Bay’s most famous attraction, and its story and mysteries are still a fascinating one. Looking down at the Takaka Valley from the top of the Takaka Hill you will notice the flat valley floor is separated sharply from the steep hills to the right, and rather less sharply from the Tasman Mountains to its left. Several million years ago earth movements caused the two hilly blocks to rise, while the wedge- shaped area containing today’s valley was lowered. The marble rock of the Takaka Hill is famous for its cave system, underground rivers and sinkholes.
Waterfalls are not common features in lowland Golden Bay, hence the enduring popularity of Wainui Falls. This 40 minute walk to one of the highest waterfalls in our coastal fringes. Head towards Totaranui and the Abel Tasman National Park. About 20 minutes past Pohara in this direction you’ll pass Wainui Inlet and come to a sign indicating the turn-off to Wainui Falls. The track cuts across farmland for a few minutes before entering the forest and climbing at a most reasonable pace. Soon the river is below you, surprisingly far below you, and then you enter some real jungle.
Just two kilometres out of Takaka, on the way to Pohara, are three big oak trees. Turn left here, follow the signs to Labyrinth Rocks Walkway and you will find one of Golden Bay’s most amazing places. Nature has produced a maze-like network of canyons through a limestone outcrop – an excellent example of the geological term ‘Karst’ limestone for which this area is known. It has been developed (and is still in the process of being developed) as an enchanting family attraction. Young or old, you will indeed be amazed!
A multitude of tracks criss-cross their way around Milnthorpe Park. Australians will feel right at home here as they walk amongst towering gum trees, although scattered throughout the park is plenty of native manukas and ferns. Look amongst the forest, in the trees, on the ground, up and down, and you will find lots of fun surprises created by local artists, constructed mainly from natural materials found within the park. There is an ongoing program of symposiums which means new works continually replace the old.
Many people contend that this, Golden Bay’s first official walkway, is the number one walk in Golden Bay. The return walk is at the end of the Waikoropupu Valley Road, 9km west of Takaka. At the Y intersection on the valley road take the right fork – the left fork goes to the springs. There is, they say, a wider range of interests – scenery, history, plant life, rock-hounding, engineering ingenuity – crammed into this half-day round trip than anywhere else locally. The road up the Pupu Valley forks about a kilometre in from the highway and a signpost directs you to the right.
A detour from Motupipi will take you to the starting point of the hike up to this ancient cave with its enormous entrance studded with thousands of coloured stalactites. At Motupipi, which is approximately 15 minutes drive from Takaka, turn right into Glenview Road and then left into Packard Road. Rawhiti Cave is signposted from near the end of Packard Road through private property to an informal carpark. Please leave the gates as you find them. It takes approximately 15 minutes to drive from Takaka to the carpark.
From the Canaan Road end a 45 minute walk leads to Harwoods Hole and a dramatic lookout on the rim of the steep sided Gorge Creek. There is also a spectacular view of the sheer rock walls surrounding Harwoods Hole, which support a surprising number of plants. The first section of the walk is over private land, through a rather eerie beech forest that has had its understorey vegetation browsed out by stock. Visual relief is provided by round shallow depressions filled with bright green moss or water, indicating the location of old sink-holes.
There are several places in Golden Bay where miners’ tracks built last century are being enthusiastically re-used by today’s visitors. Turn off the main road at Kaituna Bridge and follow the signs to the modest carpark near the bush edge. From here a well-graded track takes you first to the old Kaituna gold-workings, where water-races, shafts, stacked stones and the odd piece of rusting iron identify a hundred-year-old rush; then the track carries you further into the hills with splendid views over the river and bush.
The Takaka Hill Walkway winds its way through high-altitude shribland, pockets of mountain beech and mazes of marble kasrt rocks, which are characteristic features of the unusual landscape of the Takaka Hill. The full walk is about 4km long, and takes 2.5-3 hours. The walk is not difficult, but in places the rocks under-foot are rough. The area is exposed to changing weather conditions – take care in wet, windy and misty weather. The Takaka Hill Walkway starts from a sign-posted carpark at the side of State Highway 60 near the summit of Takaka Hill.
As would be expected when walking to a lookout the 1.5 hours to the top of he hill is a lot of “up”, but the view is worth it. 360 degrees that take in all of Whanganui (Westhaven) Inlet and miles of the Kahurangi National Park. You can even see Farewell Spit in the distance. The first and last hour of the walk are shared with the Kaituna Track – the Knuckle Hill walk branches off, and from that point is a steep and rocky trek to the top.
The Aorere Goldfield is noteworthy on several counts – it was the country’s first major goldfield, it was the first at which sluicing was used, and the first at which the diggers got together to set down their own regulations. Interesting too is the fact that both quartz and alluvial gold occurred close together, and that other minerals (particularly silver) were mined as well. The first gold was found in February 1857, and by September, there were over 1000 men in the area. The rush lasted for 3 years during which Collingwood was touted as the capital of New Zealand, but then the spectacular finds in Otago and the West Coast drew the miners away.