Wharariki Beach

the only decent picture from our inlet adventure

pastoral walk to the beach

blue skies!

headed down the dunes

view from the cave

rock island

one of the thousands of birds we were dodging on the road

We spent the night in Takaka. Laundry cost $8 but was more than worth it. We now have an entire box of Bounce Sheets shoved in every nook and cranny of Ace. (Especially in our sleeping bags)

We have 5 days to kill until we need to be at work so we decided to head up to Golden Bay. Our shuttle bus driver, Rory, had recommended a beautiful drive and we took him up on it. After three days of perfect sunshine we were reminded that we were still in NZ with a bout of rain. We headed up the coast and found ourselves on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. The gorgeous inlet we were promised was far from breathtaking and we were forced to turn around. Many of you might be familiar with the gorgeous NZ landscapes from the Lord of The Rings series. The Hobbit is currently being filmed here and this was supposedly a filming location- we were not impressed.

Today also happens to be Sunday, which means that all of NZ is closed. From gas stations to coffee shops- nothing is open. We were both dying for a cappuccino and some hot food but were disappointed with many, many closed signs.

However the day was more than worth it once we arrived at Wharariki Beach. A gravel road and short hike later we were rewarded with the most classic, breathtaking beach. It was everything you imagine the West Coast to be and more. Giant sand dunes dump you onto a long expanse of butter soft sand. Huge rock formations line the shore with caves and everything. On one of the many awe-inspiring rock islands we even got to see baby seals! (Seal pups never get old, especially when they are unsuccessfully trying to climb rocks.) To make things even more perfect, the sun came out just as we hit the beach.