2 degrees overnight in Motueka. Bill decided the day before, that we were now in the tropics (because he got out in the sun in boardies and no shirt) and packed his cold weather clothes away. After freezing overnight in bed, he conceded he was a bit premature with the tropic thing.
No matter the temperature, there was mostly blue skies and sunshine although cloud was certainly around.  
Today we head off, over the Takaka Hill, to Collingwood, check into the local little motor camp and join a tour (the only operator allowed to do this) to Cape Farewell and right to the lighthouse at the end of Farewell Spit; a 6 hour journey from go to whoa.

The drive was to take a minimum of 2 hours in the campervan. Not sure if you realise, but we are legally restricted to 90km/hr on the open road; plus the drive over the Takaka Hill cannot be taken at pace. Although it would be exciting to do so in a sports car! At 862m-high, the 35km traverse of Takaka Hill could be considered a rather tortuous affair however the drive over the crest of Takaka Hill is one of the great moments in our trip thus far.We had a clear morning and immediately after the summit we had panoramic views of the glacier-carved Takaka valley, the mountain peaks of Kahurangi National Park, and - far in the distance - Farewell Spit.The road is certainly breathtaking. The area has unusual elevated landscapes including spectacular marble karst rock formations.The road ends in Collingwood, once the nation's capital, and the place where gold was first discovered in New Zealand. 


I stole this off the net. This shows Farewell Spit from NASA Space Station.

We checked into the little camp, with our site right on the water. The tide was in and it was very pleasant sitting in the warm sun. We met the tour and whilst Bill rode shotgun I was in a single seat behind the driver with a heap of room to stretch my legs.  
Off we went in the 4wd bus, past historic old buildings and the road to Cape Farewell. We were able to drive right to the end of the road and into farmland to view the spectacle of the Cape Farewell Arch. Although Abel Tasman mapped this most northern point of the South Island, it was Captain Cook who named it as it was the last land they saw before heading home. The government bought up three large farms, over time and turned this area into Puponga Farm Park. Markers dot the hills in plain sight to allow walkers to follow the many and varied walks around this rugged and spectacular coastline.
we backtrack a little and Tony, our incredibly well-informed guide and driver, unlocks the gate that allows us access to Farewell Spit which adjoins Cape Farewell. Four wheel driving on the sand was pretty smooth as the sand is mostly pretty hard packed, although there are many spots where there is, what's commonly known as, quicksand. It looks no different from any other sand except it can stop you in your tracks and unless you can get moving fairly quickly the wheels can start sinking into the watery mass of sand. It's not like your horror movie type quicksand where it slowly sucks you down and everyone dies. Well, not that Tony told us anyway!
So on to an area of cliffs and small caves where Bill and I thought we may need to do some entertaining, like dancing on the beach in the nude! What the? I hear you shriek! Well the brochure quite clearly stated the tour would go to this area where everyone could see old fossils expose themselves on the beach. I felt sure they had us in mind!
I'm so pleased I was wrong, for everyone's sake!  However,Fossil Point, named for the fossilised shells and creatures it contains, is actually the base of the outer curve of Farewell Spit. 
A baby fur seal lazed around on a rock and gave everyone a great photo opportunity. His fur was beautifully flecked with a goldy-rusty tone in his fur.  Really cute fella!

From here we drove another 27 odd kilometres to the Cape Lighthouse, where a few large fur seals were to be seen, waiting for the tide to come in. Originally built of timber in 1869, the light house started to decay due to weather and sand blasting, so a new one was built of steel, and in use by 1897. At 27metres high, it is apparently the tallest light house on mainland NZ. Others are taller but built on islands.
Here we stopped at the compound where three houses sit. These were used by the Head, 1st assistant and 2nd assistant light house keepers.   
 The station was automated and the last keepers were withdrawn in 1984.

After a bit of history from Tony, we head back to Collingwood. An awesome day and a tour, we think, should not be missed. Tony had an incredibly vast knowledge of the whole area and clearly love his job and the environment he worked in.