Day 156, 157 -Farewell Spit & Golden Bay, South Island - Tuesday 20th, Wednesday 21st March 2012

We woke up and our heads felt surprisingly ok given the amount of wine we'd consumed the previous day! Showered and packed up, we made our way into the dining area for the B & B'S breakfast. It was scrumptious - homemade muesli with honey yogurt and fresh plums from the garden followed by toast with homemade jam and preserves washed down with lots of tea.

With breakfast and the chat with the other guests done we got in the van and started the days long drive - the plan was to drive all the way to Farewell Spit, at the other end of the width of the South Island, and then gradually make our way back along the coast over the next four days before catching the ferry on Sunday morning over to the North Island. It actually worked out ok as the weather was dismal again and so the drive took our minds off it and stopped us doing the usual of sitting in the van and consuming truckloads of sweets and toast and tea!

After four hours we arrived at Farewell Spit only to find the visitor centre and attached café closed. We didn't really intend to do a tour as it is yet more money and too late in the day anyway, but equally it seemed a shame to get there and turn straight back again! And so we sat for a while and took in the view of the 35km bleak beach and took a few photos for the memory.

Back in the van we started the drive back with the intention of finding a rest area to get our heads down. It was the windiest day ever and Ad was having trouble keeping the van on the road and so we were keen to stop for the night. We later found out that there had been gales in the North Island that had trashed houses and that's why it was so bad!!

We eventually found a spot that, although was too sheltered from the wind, looked ok and so pulled up and got to the task of making dinner. Just as we were washing up a little tap came on the window; I looked out to the pitch black to see a little lady standing outside our van. Perplexed, I opened up and asked if she was ok. It turned out that a bigger storm of more winds was due in and she was worried as our spot wasn't very sheltered and the van might topple - she gave us details of a better place just 2km down the road. What a nice lady! With that in mind, we started up the van and moved onto our more sheltered spot and got our heads down for the night.

We woke up to sun - yay! NZ weather is starting to resemble the UK's temperamental state more each day. After a leisurely morning and breakfast we got in the van and drove to the nearby Te Waikoropupu springs. These are apparently ranked in the top largest springs in the world and are actually the clearest in the world and it's got to be said they were crystal clear. At points it looked like there wasn't any water at all!

Next up was the town of Takaka; the plan was to go to the local salmon warm where you could fish for free, they even gave you all the equipment! All you had to pay was for the salmon you caught to be smoked! With this in mind Ad and I had already planned our day's eating and it completely revolved around salmon! But alas it was not meant to be as we passed the sign we were told it was closed until the weekend. I'm sure there is a saying about the best laid plans…….

So at a bit of a loss we decided to drive the coastal road and head to our camp for the night over at the top of the Abel Tasman National Park. The drive was exquisite as the sun had decided to show itself over the lovely Golden bays and beaches.

After stopping for some lunch and photo opps we finally reached the road that lead towards our camp - low and behold the road was closed due to slips and the camp was now only accessible by boat. Fantastic! Today wasn't meant to be it seemed.

So our day ended with us driving back all the way we'd come! We finally found somewhere to park up and after dinner and a film we snoozed hoping the next day would bring better luck!