Cape Farewell

Farewell Spit, the jump off point for the North

Though its name does not suggest it, Farewell Spit is of huge importance for migrating birds. It is their jump-off, and landing, point when travelling the North-South route, some birds going all the way up to the Arctic tundra!35km of sand dunes and wetlands give it a really sci-fi feel, though to get to the end of it you need to go with a grouped, and controlled, tour.

Another option is to visit Wharariki beach which you can reach at the end of a 6km gravel road and a walk through farmland bumping into the locals, i.e. the sheep. The wild dunes and the rock formations are a good introduction to the West Coast, they say!