The islands
A rock arch.
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Wharariki Beach is a sandy beach on the Tasman Sea, west of Cape Farewell, the northernmost point of New Zealand's South Island. It is known for the Archway Islands, four small rocky islands off the beach, and for its wide grassy dunes. It is reached only by a walking track of about twenty minutes from the end of Wharariki Road, about four kilometres from the small village of Puponga. There is no building around the beach; cliffs flank it east and west, and Puponga Farm Park and Kahurangi National Park surround it. Seals sometimes rest on its rocks. You see wide pale sand that mirrors the sky at low tide, and on the horizon dark rocky islands, one with a large arch the light shines through. Tall grasses bend in the wind on the dunes, white waves break on the rocks, and the sandstone cliffs glow gold. It is about 20 km from the town of Collingwood in a straight line. Swimming is dangerous because of currents, and the wind is often strong.
A rock arch.
Tall grasses.
Mirror-like sand.
West of Cape Farewell, Tasman region, New Zealand
It is not advised because of strong currents.
By a walking track of about twenty minutes from the end of Wharariki Road.