Niamh on Leave

My time in New Zealand is coming to an end. It wasn’t planned but one of my last hikes here was along the aptly named Cape Farewell which is the most northerly point on the South Island. It was originally discovered by Abel Tasman and later named by Captain Cook in 1770 as it was the last land seen by the ship’s crew as they departed on their homeward voyage. I chose the Hilltop Walk which took me from the beach along the cliff tops, through fields to end at Farewell Spit and a very welcome cafe.

Farewell Spit is a sand spit, the longest in New Zealand stretching approximately 26km above sea level and another 6km underneath. The tide here can recede as much as seven kilometres exposing some 80 square kilometres of mud flats,  a rich feeding ground for the many sea birds in the area.