| Farewell Spit Tours: Farewell Spit's beauty is equalled by the gruelling nature of the driving conditions. Sand, salt and sea-spray take their toll - but with the RL Bedfords vehicles, which are the mainstay of our fleet, we have a vehicle which is both robust and comfortable. These character vehicles have proven their sustainability over a period of many years, and carried many hundreds of guests, in all sorts of weather conditions, to the lighthouse and return. The fleet is maintained to an exacting standard, refurbishment of the interiors is ongoing for passenger comfort and a hi-tech sound system ensures you won't miss a word of the commentary.
Lighthouse Safari - 4.5 Hours
Daily Departures AM/PM includes Morning or Afternoon Tea. On the Lighthouse Safari you will see a variety of resident seabirds, and other wildlife (on some days seals haul themselves up for a snooze on the sand). There are plenty of stops along the way so make sure you bring your camera. Learn how the Lighthouse worked - see the relics from this historic NZ icon and enjoy a muffin and tea or coffee while exploring our century old Lighthouse keeper's house.
We climb one of the Barchan Sand-dunes for a panoramic view, including the vast inter-tidal plain where the migratory waders feed at low tide. Our guides are passionate about the Spit and are commited to ensuring you get the most from your experience. So join us, come smell the sea air, feel the breeze on your face and the sand between your toes! Farewell Spit Eco Tours 6.5 Hours Daily Departures AM/PM includes morning or Afternoon Tea Farewell Spit has been a sanctuary since the 1930's, and provides home for over 90 species of bird, most importantly the waders. Bar tailed godwits, knots, curlews, whimbrels and turnstones fly 12,000 kilometres every Northern Hemisphere autumn, to spend the summer in the south. See them from the wide windows of our stylishly comfortable Eco-Bus.
Don't forget to bring - Camera, jacket, binoculars, and sun hat. (Refreshments are provided and meals can be arranged.)
Gannet Colony Tour – 6.5 Hours
Daily Departures AM/PM Morning or Afternoon Tea Included This spectacular sea bird usually chooses rocky outcrops as breeding and nesting sites. The Farewell Spit colony is the only one right at sea level, affording excellent views of the parent birds caring for their young. We have the only licence granted by the Department of Conservation to visit this colony, which is New Zealand's newest nesting site for Gannets. To see them you walk beyond the Lighthouse (about 30 minutes) over the sand near the end of the Spit - you may get your feet wet.
Viewing Gannets is a two way process - the birds are known for their curiosity and often fly low over our visitors to get a closer look.
Wader Watch Tour – 3-4 Hours The tidal range at Farewell Spit is huge - at low tide over 9 kilometres of sand flats sweep out to the clear blue waters of Golden Bay. This is where the arctic waders come to feed, and you will be able to see many of them, though the number of species observed, on many trips, depends on the tides, weather conditions, and the time of year. Over the years we have studied the best times to see the bird life; the godwits, knots, turnstones and other arctic waders are usually on the Spit , from late September until early April. Check with our office for further details about this trip.
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