Wharariki Beach

Ted. Our Swedish friends, Malou and Björn told us about this place which lies in the northernmost portion of Kahurangi National Park. My old college buddy, Tom also recommended it so one morning we drove northwest from Nelson to see what it was all about. The first challenge was to correctly pronounce the name of the beach. For some reason, “wh” is pronounced as “f” in Maori. 

It took us over 2-1/2 hours to travel the 100 miles to Wharariki because roads in NZ are two lane, narrow and curvy. Fortunately, there are plenty of interesting things to see along the way. First we drove along Tahunanui Beach, then through fruit country where we saw lots of apples, apricots, melons and other gems, all being harvested and sold at roadside stands. Entering the town of Motueka we had to stop when we saw a mural of Ricky Baker, the main character in a NZ film we love called The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. 

Then it was up and over Takaka Hill. This is a hair raising, windy road that quickly climbs from sea level to the peak at 2,600 ft with only an occasional guard rail. Poor Judy was a wreck by the time we made it to the other side and glimpsed Golden Bay. There are glorious views in every direction and apparently several scenes from The Lord of the Rings were shot around here. After driving along the shores of Golden Bay, we ultimately reached our destination; a carpark and, as always in NZ, a cafe.

Once fortified, we headed out on the half mile trail to the beach, crossing sheep and cow pastures. 

While walking along the beach, we were informed by some young German women that the rocks we were looking at are know as the Archway Islands and are actually pretty famous. Apparently Microsoft used a photo of them some years ago as a screen saver. Google it and you'll find lots of images that are better than my snapshots.

The tide was coming in when we got to the beach so we couldn’t get too close to the islands, With our binoculars we were able to glimpse some of the fur seals sunbathing on the rocks. Björn and Malou had visited the beach at low tide and were able to get close enough to see the baby seals playing in the tidal pools. You can see lots of videos on Youtube if you search “baby seals at Wharariki Beach.” 

Even though this was a Saturday afternoon in the summer, there were only about 20 people on the beach - nice! Judy pointed out to me that New Zealand has something in common with another place we love - Costa Rica. Both countries have huge beaches with only a few footprints.