Add a Comment   Return to Previous Page

Farewell Spit

Entry 269, on 2006-01-02 at 17:50:37 (Rating 1, Travel)

Today we travelled up to Farewell Spit, a narrow (from about 1 kilometer at high tide to 20 at low) piece of sand which juts out from the top of the South Island of New Zealand. We took a commercial tour with farewell Spit Eco Tours and it was really worth doing. The tour leaves from Collingwood in a four wheel drive bus and visits some areas, such as Puponga and Fossil Point, before venturing onto the spit itself.

The spit is a raw, tough environment - just a lot of windblown sand with rock cliffs at one end where it joins onto the mainland, and a lighthouse at the other. We saw seals at Fossil Point and I got close enough to get some good photos. Another seal, a dead whale, sea birds, and sand dunes were seen on the drive to the end where a small forest has been established around the lighthouse. The trees, lighthouse, and a few buildings are like an oasis appearing in the desert-like wilderness.

On the way back we stopped and leapt off a sand dune. As soon as we left the bus we were sand-blasted by the wind-blown sand. The spit wasn't what you would call a classic New Zealand beauty spot but it was a really interesting and wild place to visit, and the commentary of the obviously enthusiastic driver really added to the experience.

There are no comments for this entry.

You can leave comments about this entry using this form.

Enter your name (optional):
Enter your email address (optional):
Enter the number shown here:
Enter the comment:

To add a comment: enter a name and email (optional), type the number shown, enter a comment, click Add.
Note that you can leave the name blank if you want to remain anonymous.
Enter your email address to receive notifications of replies and updates to this entry.
The comment should appear immediately because the authorisation system is currently inactive.

I do podcasts too! You can listen to my latest podcast, here: OJB's Podcast 2026-04-14 How Far is that Star?: How would we really know how big the universe is? Or subscribe to my podcast RSS feed, on my RSS Feeds page.

If you're not sure what to view from the thousands of pages on my site, here are some suggestions: My Latest Airshow Report (photos and movies from Warbirds Over Wanaka, 2026), My Favourite Wines and Beers (tasting notes for some of my favourites), An Interesting Astronomical Observation (learn a bit about astronomy from these observing notes), See Some Photos (A short rail journey through the Taieri Gorge), Read Some Mac Tips (Learn about how to use your Mac, and fix some problems).

Latest Site News and Notifications (Desktop): You are currently viewing OJB's web site, version 2.4 which has some major changes, and possibly errors! Please report any problems to ojb@mac.com.