New Zealand Walk: Port Ligar a truly unique expe

Port Ligar -

a truly unique kiwi experience

Left: Walking over private farm land with views of French Pass and D’Urville Island.

Port Ligar – a truly unique kiwi experience

By Kelly Watson

They say you shouldn’t leave town till you’ve seen the country, and we are blessed here in New Zealand to have some of the world’s most popular tourist locations.

If however, you are looking for something a little more personal and off the beaten track, then the Port Ligar Tour in the Pelorus Sounds is the perfect trip excursion for you. Someone who has taken part on the tour first hand is Tony Fortune, and here he shares his experience…

What made you choose the Port Ligar Tour?

I have travelled to some incredible places all around the world; from trekking the alpine regions of Europe, exploring the trails of Patagonia, and even visiting Antarctica but I had never been to this part of New Zealand. My neighbour came from D’Urville Island and always spoke about it fondly, so I decided now was the time. I called a couple of friends and they were both interested, so all three of us booked and went in May just been.

How did you find the tour?

I loved it. It was the perfect length of time and a reasonable price. The accommodation was really comfortable with delicious meals and roaring fire. The others on the tour were all like minded people, including the guides, who were interested in nature and being active so it was as if we all had known each other for a long time. The weather wasn’t always perfect, but the team just adapted our days and were able to be very flexible, which made the experience seamless.

Left: Tony Fortune. Right: Catching blue cod for dinner. Bottom left: Battling the elements is part of the fun. Below right: From here you can see Mt Taranaki on a clear day.

Tell us about your highlights…

I love that this wasn’t just a typical “hop on hop off” kind of tour. You had to get involved and active. My real highlight though were the visits we had with the local families and communities.

There is something genuinely kiwi in the way we were welcomed into their homes for a cup of tea and homemade treat, as they shared the history of their generations, stories of the land, and hopes for the future. It highlighted how small our country is, as they knew people I did and vice versa. It felt authentic, not just “for the tourists”.

I also have to make a special mention of the blue cod we caught one day and then devoured for dinner. It was simply delicious – you can’t get a more fresh to the plate catch than that!

And finally, would you do it again?

We all loved our time on the Port Ligar Tour and in general the experience with Driftwood Eco Tours on the whole… so much so that we are chatting about some future expeditions we may be able to do through the Kaikoura Mountains! I would definitely recommend this particular experience for people who are keen to be active, confident trampers and nature lovers alike.

Above: Port Ligar farm walk with views into the inner Marlborough Sounds. Below: Viewing the wildlife of the outer Marlborough Sounds from the deck. Below bottom: View over Admiral Bay from D’Urville Island.

Nikau palms and sea stacks at Point Elizabeth

By Alex and Jenny Davies

Walkers can see nikau palms on many tracks, not only in the North Island.

The southern end of the Heaphy Track is famous for its palms on the edge of the ocean, but nikau extend south as far as Banks Peninsula, and Rekoku Chatham Island boasts the southernmost palms in the world.

But when we set out from the end of the road at Cobham’s North Beach, not far from Greymouth, we were still surprised to be plunging into a luxuriant palm forest that swept down a steep slope to reach a wave-tossed pebbly beach.

The air was full of the sound of breaking waves and the roar of stones pushed up and rolling back with the surge of the Tasman Sea.

Our track followed, for much of the way, an old water race, a relic of 19th century gold sluicing. More or less level, it passed through some deep cuttings, then through more groves of nikau.

It was a one hour walk to the headland at Point Elizabeth where, from above limestone cliffs, the view Above left: Nikau palms and sea stacks at Point Elizabeth. Below left: From Point Elizabeth, looking north to the Motukiekie Rocks..

Nikau palms and sea stacks at Point Elizabeth

to the south followed the distant coast to the snow capped peaks of Aoraki and the Southern Alps, clear and beautiful. Below us jagged sea stacks were washed by heaving ocean waves.

To the north. the rocky coastline and the edge of the Paparoa Range became lost in sea spray. Behind us another sea of harakeke, nikau and forest trees clothed the northern end of the Rapahoe Range..

The track continues round to the beach at Rapahoe but a sign announced that this was currently blocked by a large slip.

It would make an excellent return trip on another day, but now it was back to the car and chances for more short walks further north along the coast while the good weather lasted.

A good walk always inspires another! Above right: Snow along the Southern Alps, from the Point Elizabeth lookout. Below left: Heading back along the track through nikau forest.