Farewell Spit is a narrow 26 km long sand spit at the northern end of Golden Bay. The first few kilometers can be publicly accessed. The rest only via a bus tour, including the lighthouse near the end of the spit. The red offroad bus uses the beach as a highway at low tide and the tour takes more than 4 hours total.
We had a quite windy day, which means the almost white sand was flying eastwards quicker than our bus could drive. But that made it a very special and exciting experience for us, watching how the landscape is transformed every day. The bus driver said that the sand is more than 200 m deep and the spit length increases by about 4 meters every year.
Every few kilometers we could see a pair of oyster catchers, marking their territory. On a few occasions we also had the opportunity to see fur seals and gannets. They all seemed unimpressed by the bus though. :) The ride ended at the lighthouse where we had a snack before we went back again.
![First stop: Fossil point. Couldn't spot any fossils though](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0505_1600-640x360.jpg)
![There it is, the famous red bus](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0507_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Cowgirl on the rock](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0508_1600-640x360.jpg)
![What's the driver saying?](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0515_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Windy lighthouse picture](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0522_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Said to be the only open steel frame lighthouse in NZ](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0524_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Whale bones to view](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0532_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Driving a bus on loose sand is a risk](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0547_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Sometimes it has to reverse to get out again](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0545_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Lazy fur seal](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0551_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Curious fur seal](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0561_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Don't ask me bird names...](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0567_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Another fur seal](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0571_1600-640x360.jpg)
![That tree is laying there for years now](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0573_1600-640x360.jpg)
![There is always time to do hand stands](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0590_1600-640x360.jpg)
![That's a gannet from the large colony nearby!](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0603_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Hiking up a massive sand dune](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0622_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Yay, flying sand](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0626_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Reminds me on motion blur filter in Photoshop](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0629_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Jumping down dunes again (must do)](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0630_1600-640x360.jpg)
![That's no mist, that's all flying sand](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0643_1600-640x360.jpg)
![The red sign marks the end of the public accessible area](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0647_1600-640x360.jpg)
![Left-nosed elephant is staring at you](https://www.schnitzel.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/150928_0650_1600-640x360.jpg)