Leila R.
Yelp
The northernmost part of the South Island, this is such a must visit place! It was a long, but scenic daytrip out to the Spit from Nelson, but well worth the visit. The spit itself juts out into the ocean and separates Golden Bay & the Tasman Sea. You can only walk bout 4.1km of the Spit before a permit is required. They do tours the full length of the spit, but the price and scheduling were out of my range when I visited.
I walked the allowable length of the spit, so just over 8km round trip and took a detour up into the dunes where you feel like you've just entered an NZ version of the Sahara...when I first hiked up it was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. You can walk a bit to the middle and hike up a dune to get the height you need to see the breadth of the spit and the two bodies of water it separates at the same time.
The tide was going out, so the number of viewable water fowl was impressive. There is a definite stench when the tide goes out. Thankfully the bandana I had brought for sun protection also worked well to go over my mouth when the smell was a bit overwhelming. The bay-side is beautiful especially w/the mountains in distance. It seemed to be a photographer and birdwatcher's paradise as almost everyone I passed had their long lenses out or binoculars to their faces.
It was very peaceful and tranquil and some sections I had all to myself, including the time I spent up in the dunes. In total, I spent about 3.5hrs on the spit and enjoyed every minute!
