Power and beauty in isolation
Date: 18 Sep 2001, The Press, Christchurch, page 20
Caption: Tidal pools at Wharariki Beach in north Westland.

Where the pounding Tasman beats against the north Westland coastline, a brooding oceanscape of calm inlets and rugged rocky archways attracts the visitor, writes PAT BARRETT.

FACT FILE Access: Over the Wharariki Farm Park and road off the main road to Farewell Spit at Port Puponga. Walk from the car-park and information panels. Time: 20 minutes to beach. Round trip through Dune Lake, two to three hours. Grade: Easy. Map: M24.

On the northern tip of the South Island lies a stunning coastline of cliffs, inlets, ocean stacks, wild seas, and soft sandy beaches. Pre-eminent among these natural marine features is Wharariki Beach, where the Tasman Sea rolls its limitless energy into the two kilometre stretch of the bay.

Often windy and brooding this isolated oceanscape is charged with power and beauty; here there is space to explore and ponder the work of the sea as it pounds into the bay headlands and surges against the massive pillars of the Archway Islands.

These unusual sea stacks guard the central portion of the bay, their muscular profiles standing more than 150 metres above the relentless march of the waves which surge around and through the archways. Thus the islands convey a sense of latent power with the tallest stack seemingly poised to raise its ponderous "legs" and stride onto the beach.

Along the bay stand cliffs of conglomerate rock pockmarked with caves and hidden inlets. Striking shapes have been formed in the rock by the action of wind and sea which together have deposited vast quantities of sand into the bay environs and built up a series of parallel sand-dunes which sweep like ripples on a pond back into the low coastal vegetation.

It is through this vegetation and surrounding farmland that the access track passes, its quiet sheltered aspect in direct contrast to the ocean space awaiting visitors beyond the undulating hillocks.

Wharariki Beach has been built up by the longshore drift of the Westland Current which has also deposited the sands of Farewell Spit, only 4km away.

At low tide on Wharariki Beach the easternmost stack of the Archway Islands can be gained on foot and dry shod. On its landward side a series of fascinating rock pools, large and deep enough to swim in, are located.

Often seals are encountered here and if there are pups they will be seen diving and cavorting in the aquamarine water of the pools, above which looms the threatening bulk of the largest stack. A short scramble above the pools will grant the agile visitor access to the lowest stack where a rough path exists around and through the densely packed flax and shrubbery.

Here, a stunning spectacle of ocean and beach is gained and the mighty power of the sea is revealed as the breakers roll their loads up onto the cliffs in a display of foam and sheer power. Care must be exercised here if the tide is returning as deep water and ocean surges wash parts of the rock terraces that provide access to the island.

Along the beach, at low to mid-tide, gentle waves glide over the flat, firm sand providing delight for children, parents, and beachcombers alike, and sand-dunes add another dimension, their soft, alluring profiles providing warmth and protection from the constant wind.

Beyond Wharariki Beach a series of easy walking tracks passes through the dunes and into the tranquil streams and dune lakes that have been impounded by the inland march of the sandhills and so providing a round trip back to the car-park on Wharariki Road.

To visit at sunset when the beach and islands are spotlit by the softening orb of the sun merging with the sea is an unforgettable moment in this beautiful setting, where ocean, sand, rock, and marine life create a unique interface.