Because we live near the very top of the North Island and regularly take our visitors to Cape Rēinga, we decided that this year our own road trip would incorporate the northernmost point of the South Island, Farewell Spit.

Peering into Harwoods Hole

State Highway 60, beginning near Nelson, is the only way to get to that point by road, and while we were in Nelson we learnt that our walk up Botanical Hill had led us to what had once been surveyed as the centre of New Zealand. We’ve since found that the centre is actually in the Spooner Ranges, but it was a pleasant walk through the Botanic Gardens to the summit where there were fantastic views over the port and beyond.


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