Clifton and Pohara |
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Clifton
Turn left at the crossroads in Clifton and a couple of minutes’ drive brings you to the Clifton Cemetery and Reserve. Set in peaceful, picturesque surroundings with a backdrop of saltmarsh and estuary shallows, this area was the first European cemetery in Golden Bay, burials being recorded as far back as 1856. European settlement and development of the Bay have taken many twists and turns in the century-and-a-half since then.
Adjacent to the cemetery is the popular golf course (visitors welcome), whose sweeping fairways and landscape of maturing trees and immaculate greens are only a short putt's distance from one of our most well-known beach resorts, Pohara. Turning right at the crossroads in Clifton will bring you to The Grove Scenic Reserve, but do take time to check out the narrow side roads around here. There are arts and crafts, fruits, vegies and salami to be tasted, all amongst some interesting scenery.
Pohara
Pohara is one of the main holiday centres of the Bay, with a beach that must rank among New Zealand’s safest. It is also a popular centre for windsurfing and kayaking. Hire equipment is available for those who forgot their own. Every standard of accommodation is available (book early!) from a large camping ground right on the beach to motels, cottages and B & Bs. For the sports enthusiast the golf club, tennis courts and bowling club are all located Pohara Beachhere. Dances and other entertainment are held at the Pohara Hall throughout the festive season and each year Pohara Beach Holiday Park organises the Tinbum Triathalon which is enjoyed by an increasing number of local and visiting athletes.
Enjoy the scenic drive along the coastline from Pohara to Ligar Bay and beyond. The beach-side road crawls beneath rugged limestone cliffs covered in part with remnants of original native forest. See the summer flowering rata trees but please, once you have passed the appropriately named cafe, watch out for penguins crossing the road. You could see them anywhere for the next few kilometres.
