Farewell Spit tour, Collingwood

Farewell Spit is a 30 km sandspit at the northern tip of the South Island, curving between the wild west coast and the calm tidal flats of Golden Bay. It's a nature reserve and an internationally important wetland, so beyond the first few kilometres you can only visit on an organised tour.

Farewell Spit Eco Tours runs trips from Collingwood in large 4WD buses along the outer beach to the lighthouse near the tip, past huge dunes and, on some tours, to a gannet colony. Guides explain the history and wildlife. From September to March, tens of thousands of migratory birds, including bar-tailed godwits and knots that fly here from the Arctic, feed on the tidal flats.

Tour times depend on the tides. Book ahead in summer.