. from southern and northern tribes, Ngati Tumatakokiri had no defence GOLDEN BAY DAYOUT against the muskets of the powerful North Island chief, Te Rauparaha, Golden Bay welcomes visitors, but you won’t find big hotels and who conquered the area in 1827-8. Some descendants of the occupying nightlife here. It’s renowned for natural wonders. You can spend tribes of Ngati Tama, Ngati Rarua and Te Atiawa still live in the Bay days enjoying many beautiful, safe beaches and taking in some today. of the short walks which are both scenic and of historic interest. The Pupu Springs are a must on another DayOut, as is a visit to Abel Tasman Farewell Spit, a wetland of international importance. No-one knows the real reason for the conflict that took place between Golden Bay is a gateway to the Kahurangi and Abel Tasman Abel Tasman’s men and Ngai Tumatakokiri, but with four of his men National Parks for those interested in serious tramping. The area beaten to death, Tasman was pleased to leave what he called Murderers also attracts crafts people and painters who sell their work from Bay. their own small galleries. Tasman, a captain in the Dutch East India Company, and the crews of GOLDEN BAY - HERITAGE the Zeehhaen and the Heemskerck anchored in the Bay on December 18, 1642. Canoes approached the ships and Maori attacked a ship’s What’s in a Name! boat killing four Dutch seamen. This experience deterred Tasman from further attempts to explore the land his employers called Nieuw Visitors to Golden Bay today assume its name refers to the Zeeland. golden sands which contribute so much to the beauty of the area. In fact the discovery of gold gave the bay its present name. The name of the first European to sight New Zealand lives on. Tasman Before that it was called Coal Bay because of the discovery there Bay was named after him and three hundred years to the day after his of recoverable coal deposits. This name, though prosaic, was an visit to the area, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands officially opened the improvement on the first European name of Murderers’ Bay, Abel Tasman National Park. given by the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman. Captain James Cook Maori History Cook did not anchor in Golden Bay - perhaps because of its savage Archaeological evidence has revealed the bay was an important reputation - but he gave Farewell Spit its name when he left New area for resources for early Maori. They caught fish in the sea Zealand at the end of his first voyage in 1770. and rivers and hunted moa and other birds. The Bay gave access over rugged trails to the West Coast to the valuable resource of European Settlement and Gold pounamu (greenstone). At Parapara they mined red and black pigments for dyes, and used quartzite from Puponga for tool In 1842 Captain Arthur Wakefield acquired land in Golden Bay for the making. You can still see the defensive ditches of the pa site at New Zealand Company. Pioneers established a small settlement - later Puponga Point. Throughout the Bay signs of Maori occupation called Collingwood - at the mouth of the Aorere River. When gold was have been found, even on windswept Farewell Spit. discovered in payable quantities at Appo’s Flat in 1856, the rush to the Aorere Valley was on. Nelson settlers and prospectors from Australia Ngai Tara, the first tribe to live in the area, were followed by the came by sea to join the locals who found gold more alluring than Ngati Tumatakokiri who controlled the northwest of the South farming. During the boom Collingwood flourished as a port, and other Island for about 200 years. Weakened eventually by attacks rich strikes were made on the Anatoki and Takaka Rivers. By 1859 the 1 main rush was over; farmers returned to their land and the most on the Spit, preparing for their amazing return flight to the tundra of adventurous diggers moved on, searching for new fields. Today Siberia where they nest. in the Aorere Valley, you can see remains of mining operations which continued there until the early 1900s. Among the many birds on the Spit are colonies of gannets - comparative newcomers to the area - and Caspian terns. You can also see a variety of wading birds, sea birds and forest birds in the Puponga Farm Park. Riches of the Land Dusk or dawn is the best time to see little blue penguins at Wharariki Several industries have flourished over the years. Coal, timber Beach and Fossil Point. If you miss the penguins here, look out for the and iron were exported in colonial times, limestone was used at seals sunning themselves on the rocks huge cement works at Tarakohe and marble is quarried on Takaka Hill. Golden Bay’s main industries are still tied to the land. Dairy Puponga Farm Park farming is experiencing a boom and tourism grows every year as people increasingly appreciate the joys of a compact, beautiful Puponga is a working farm on Department of Conservation land. region. Visitors are free to wander over the tracks which are marked by white- painted stiles, but don’t open gates. No pets are allowed. Farewell Spit and Puponga Farm Park Walks in the area: For a really special DayOut go west. At the end of SH 60 you reach a Visitor Centre and cafe. Information panels detail the Farewell Spit outstanding features of the area - and this is a very special area. Dramatic dunes, soaring cliffs, arches sculptured by the waves, Access to the Spit is strictly controlled to protect the wildlife. Signposts limestone sinkholes, pounding surf, the longest spit in the country indicate where you can walk (no biking). The track takes you 2.5 km and a variety of wildlife make this a fascinating place to spend the along the inner beach of Golden Bay, across the spit and then 4 km day. And you can see it all for free when you walk! along the ocean beach. Farewell Spit Fossil Point - 25 minutes, one way from carpark Farewell Spit is a nature So named because of fossilised wormcasts and shells embedded in the reserve, designated a Wetland blocks of mudstone which have fallen from the cliffs. You often see of International Importance. seals at the Point. From here retrace your steps or, for a longer route, For 14,000 years wind and walk along the ocean beach, cross the spit on the vehicle access track water have shaped this 35km and return to the carpark along the inner beach. sand spit which acts as a breakwater to Golden Bay Wharariki Beach - 20 minutes one way from Wharariki Road and provides an important carpark habitat for birds. Waders are the most numerous of the over 90 species recorded here and of these the bartailed godwits and The quickest way to the beach is to drive to the carpark at the end of the knots are best-known. With the approach of the northern Wharariki Road. From there you walk across paddocks to the beach. hemisphere winter they migrate, flying 12,000 km to arrive in For a much longer and more demanding walk follow the track from New Zealand in September. Many spend the summer at Farewell the Visitor Centre carpark to Pillar Point and then continue along the Spit. In March and April thousands of wading birds congregate Hilltop Walk, past Cape Farewell to Wharariki Beach 2 GARDENS Allow an hour to explore the bush-covered limestone outcrop and the You can have a DayOut just looking at the gardens in Golden Bay natural sculptures of the karst limestone formations. Picnic sites, light as they are all an easy drive from Takaka, or you can take a short refreshmants, toilets. detour to a garden while en route to a walk or a picnic. East Takaka Gardens There are two nurseries (entry free) well worth a visit for their colourful displays in lovely settings. Open daily, 10am to dusk. 3km south of Takaka,turn into East Takaka at the hospital corner. Beautiful Begonias of Golden Bay Gardens are signposted 4.5-6.5 from hospital corner. Combine a visit to Grove Reserve with a visit to this nursey. It’s Three country gardens featuring sweeping lawns edged with perennials, a 5 minute drive further up the road. roses, rhododendrons and native plants. Turn right at Clifton on the Takaka - Pohara Road and drive to the end of Rocklands Road. Open daily, December -April, 10am -5pm. Free entry. A dazzling collection of tuberous begonias in two shade houses. Ask Robyn, the owner, to show you her new hybrid, Gem. A pale apricot, it has a lovely scent and looks splendid in hanging baskets. After seeing the begonias, walk around the garden and enjoy the views and the collections of succulents and bromeliads. There’s also a picnic area. Lilies in Bloom 19km north of Takaka, turn right off SH60 into Tukurua Camp Road. Closed Sunday; open all year for sales of bulbs, but if you want to see a spectacular display of lilies in full bloom, visit between December and March. Gardens charging an entry fee: Labyrinth Rocks Park Signposted off the Takaka - Pohara Road, 3 km from Takaka. Open in the afternoons. 3 PICNIC/BEACH On another DayOut explore one or more of the many beautiful picnic places and beaches easily reached from SH60 north from Takaka: A picnic at one of the many superb beaches is an ideal way to spend a DayOut in Golden Bay. Onekaka To the east of Takaka, take the Abel Tasman Drive to Totaranui (37km) and choose your beach: 15 km from Takaka.