The Top of the Bottom

This one should actually be short, so let's get into it!

PuPu Springs

After leaving Nelson Lakes National Park, I went up to the Golden Bay area, which is the northwest section of the South Island.  I haven't been here before, but wanted to check out a few things.  Along the way, I stopped at the Pupu Springs, which is meant to be the clearest flowing water in the world!  It was pretty clear to say the least!  Afterwards I went to Farewell Spit, which is the longest sand spit in New Zealand and basically splits Golden Bay from the West Coast.  I walked along the beach there for a bit, then checked out Cape Farewell, which is the northernmost point on the South Island.  I just made it to Wharariki Beach on the West Coast for sunset, which was stunning!  Finally, I went to a deserted gravel area I noticed earlier to camp in my car for the night.  Turned out, 3 other cars had the same idea and it was a great spot, right on the coast!  I slept great under a sky full of stars and awoke to an awesome sunrise!

Sunset at Wharariki Beach

From the Tablelands

After checking out a bit more in that area, I was on to Kahurangi National Park in an area called the Mt. Arthur Tablelands.  On the way, I checked out a town called Takaka, which is a very unique little hippy town!  In the tablelands, there is a hut that you can literally drive to, which was convenient--like a free hostel!  The next morning I hiked a few hours up a ridge and across the tableland.  It is a really different area as it is a giant plateau surrounded by high peaks almost as if a few mountains just got their tops chopped off to form a big plateau.  The area is also full of strange rock formations and caves, which were neat to check out.  Unfortunately, the weather the rest of the trip turned quite a bit wetter, so I skipped climbing Mt Arthur and instead went to Asbestos Cottage for the night.  It was a very cool hut as it was over 100 years old (but restored) and it was a couples house for nearly 40 years as the man mined asbestos!  I had that night to myself, which was nice after sharing the hut with 12 members of the Wellington Tramping Club the night before.  The next morning, in the heavy rain, I went back to my car and decided to stay at the drive-up hut again.  There was another group from Auckland there who were friends, some of which had been hiking together for over 35 years!  While it is a bit annoying to have big groups in huts, they do tend to share food.  I certainly didn't lose weight on this trip!  On the drive back, I stopped at Harwoods Hole--New Zealands deepest "vertical shaft" aka cave/sinkhole!

Sunset at Wharariki

As most of you also have heard by now, I have booked a flight to Bali on June 11, so will officially be leaving NZ for Asia!  For now, I've got a bit more exploring to do, then maybe work for a few weeks, before leaving!