Short walk | 20-minute return | Golden Bay
Many years ago I remember heading to Farewell Spit and doing the walkway out onto the dunes, so as I approached the turnoff I decided not to go that way and to head somewhere new to me instead. I chose the short walk to Cape Farewell which was a little stop on my way out to Wharariki Beach. The walk to the viewpoint itself is only 200m from the car park (and about 2 minutes) and from here you get a great view out to the cliffs and impressive inlet in one direction and out towards Farewell Spit in the other. The walk is a 4WD track and pretty easy going, though uphill all the way to the viewpoint.
From here I decided to explore a bit further, so headed up the hill to the right of the viewpoint (if looking out to sea). Heading up the grassy farmland and following markers from the Puponga Hilltop Walk I headed in the direction of Farewell Spit. Staying away from the cliff edge, I followed the general direction out towards a point where I got great views of more white cliffs and the sand dunes which were now starting to get hidden by haze drifting over.
You can follow the track all the way out to the Dunes and also back in the other direction to Wharariki Beach but being keen to get sunset at Wharariki I headed back to the car from this point and drove through instead of walking. It was a nice place to stop off on the way and opened up some beautiful views of the farmland, coast and cliffs which you wouldn’t see if just heading over to Wharariki.
Parking: Cape Farewell Car Park is accessed by gravel road but easily accessible in most vehicles as the road is in good condition and relatively wide.
Overnight Options: Not applicable. This is farmland so camping is not permitted.
