Friday, March 12, 2011
Getting the sense of the land and sea, this is a drive around day. Taking route 60 from Motueka over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay, there is much to see. Looking back from the top of the hill, there are orchards of apples ready for harvest and fields of hops on trellises.
Beyond, we walk a path amid the fantastic shapes of marble. Onward to Te Waikoropupu Springs, the largest freshwater springs in NZ and the purest. We walk around the "Pupu Springs" Reserve. It's quite a lovely introduction to beautiful natural systems. The springs are incredibly clear and blue, the forests have trees we've never seen before, there is a beautiful white egret in a tree above and a blackbird singing by the parking lot. We eat the lunch we packed at a picnic table on Golden Bay among many gulls. Heading back, we find Labyrinth Rocks Park and the Grove. These are small parks with amazing limestone canyons and native "bush."
At the end of our drive we stop off at Kaiteriteri to inquire about a boat taxi to Torrent Bay in Abel Tasman National Park. That's our plan for tomorrow--to take the boat out and walk back along the coast. And so back to the Equestrian Lodge and supper.
No comments:
Post a Comment