Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Golden Bay
Motueka to Takaka
From Motueka, SH60 takes a stomach-churning meander over Takaka Hill. On the way it
passes dramatic lookouts over Tasman Bay and Abel Tasman National Park before
swooping down towards Takaka and Collingwood. The best way to tackle this region is
with your own wheels.
Takaka Hill
(791m) butts in between Tasman Bay and Golden Bay. Just below the
summit (literally) are the
Ngarua Caves
(SH60; adult/child $15/7; 45min tours hourly
10am-4pm Sep-May, open Sat & Sun only Jun-Aug)
, a rock-solid attraction karst in stone,
where you can see myriad subterranean delights including moa bones. Access is restric-
ted to tours - you can't go solo spelunking.
Also just before the summit is the turn-off to
Canaan Downs Scenic Reserve
,
reached at the end of an 11km gravel road. This area stars in both the
Lord of the Rings
and
Hobbit
movies, but
Harwood's Hole
is the most famous feature here. It's one of the
largest
tomo
(caves) in the country at 357m deep and 70m wide, with a 176m vertical
drop. It's a 30-minute walk from the car park. Allow us to state the obvious: the cave is
off-limits to all but the most experienced cavers. Mountain bikers with intermediate-level
skills can venture along a couple of new loop tracks, or head all the way down to Takaka
via the famous
Rameka Track
. There's a basic
DOC Campsite
(per person $6)
here too.
Close to the zenith also lies the
Takaka Hill Walkway
, a three-hour loop walk through
marble karst rock formations, native forest and farmland, and
Harwood Lookout
, afford-
ing fine views down the Takaka River Valley to Takaka and Golden Bay. For more walks
on the sunny side of the hill, see DOC's brochure
Walks in Golden Bay
.
Takaka & Around
Boasting NZ's highest concentration of yoga pants, dreadlocks and alternative life-
stylers, Takaka (population 1240) is nevertheless a largely down-to-earth town and the
last 'big' centre before the road west ends at Farewell Spit. You'll find most things you
need here, and a few things you don't, but we all have an unworn tie-dye tanktop in our
wardrobe, don't we?
Sights & Activities
