It might seem counterproductive to leave Australia in search of a beach holiday, but across New Zealand s 15,000 kilometres of pristine coastline, there.
GO NZ: Farewell Spit, New Zealand s next Unesco World Heritage Site
28 Apr, 2021 12:01 AM
5 minutes to read
Bird appeal: Farewell Spit is one of the country s most important bird sanctuaries. Photo / Supplied, Nelson Tasman
Bird appeal: Farewell Spit is one of the country s most important bird sanctuaries. Photo / Supplied, Nelson Tasman
NZ Herald
By: Elen Turner
It s wild and windy but, if you have feathers, Farewell Spit is prime real estate, writes Elen Turner
Most people who have flown between the North and South Islands on a clear day will have seen the 25km sandspit reaching into the Tasman Sea. Farewell Spit forms the northern boundary of Golden Bay, and setting foot there feels like being on the edge of the Earth. It practically is.
New Zealand rocks: Wonderful geology experiences you won t believe exist
28 Apr, 2021 06:19 PM
6 minutes to read
New Zealand s landscape is full of geological gems. Photo / File, Composite
NZ Herald
Ewan McDonald
Land of volcanoes, glaciers and ancient forests, the diverse geology of Aotearoa is truly astounding. Better yet, it s easily discoverable and accessible.
We ve dug up these top tours and experiences to help you appreciate our unique geology, not take it for granite. Even if you don t know your Cambrian from your Devonian.
Striking profile: Kaiaraara Rock in Whangaroa - also known as the Duke s Nose. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northland
Supplied
Seabirds once flourished on South Nguroa Island, off Golden Bay s remote western coast, but all have been wiped out.
A handful of rock stacks along the five kilometre long stretch of coast running between Cape Farewell and Nguroa along Golden Bay’s remote western flank have for eons provided breeding havens for upwards of 10,000 burrow-nesting fluttering shearwaters and diving petrels. In effect, they are Kahurangi arks. Around half of these breeding seabirds used to live on the largest of these ‘bird islands’, 72m-high South Nguroa Island which lies a150m offshore just north of Nguroa Bay. But no more. They have been wiped out, almost certainly wiped by stoats, who swam out to the stack and climbed its near vertical conglomerate sides which have two arches through its base.