West Coast Travels

The steep climb over Takaka Hill, the guardian of the door to Golden Bay, is a true visual feast on this clear and crisp winters morning. I then weave southwards on the Motueka Valley Highway. This road traverses gently rolling countryside, dotted with farms, sleepy orchards and hibernating fields of hops.

After a hearty lunch, I follow State Highway 6 which snakes through Buller Gorge, a journey that could have easily taken a day or two if I were to stop at all the points of interest along the way.

I push on, continuing west along SH6 through the Lower Buller Gorge to Westport, the gateway to the far north. The road to Karamea is, at first, pressed against the rocky shoreline by grass-covered hills and then meanders over the thickly forested Karamea Buff.

The sign as I enter Karamea claims this relaxed town is the West Coast's best kept secret and is home to the magical Oparara Basin. I tune to the local radio station (107.5 FM) and look for somewhere to call home for a few nights. When a rainbow-coloured hostel comes into sight, my decision is made. Rongo Backpackers, part hippie artists' haven and part organic veggie farm, wins me over from the moment I step through their multicoloured door :)