February 4, 2026
We woke up to a spectacular day with clear blue skies. We took a day trip south to Jackson Bay, which is a very remote area off of the West Coast and as far south as the road goes in this area.
Our first stop was the Hapuka Estuary Walk that was just a mile down the road from our motel. It was a short loop walk on boardwalks through a wetlands area, followed by a stroll through the rain forest. We were there during low tide, and the estuary was a big muddy flat.
The next stop was at the Arawhata River Bridge viewpoint. The river was a lovely shade of blue, and some side channels were so still that my camera was able to capture some nice reflections in the water.
At the end of the road in Jackson Bay we took the Wharekai Te Kau Walk to Ocean Beach. This was an easy walk through rain forest that followed a stream leading to the ocean. The "beach" here was just a cove, but the view was very nice.
Back in Jackson Bay we had a fish and chips lunch at the Cray Pot restaurant with outdoor seating and a beautiful view of the bay. The fish special of the day was orange roughy, and it was very good.
After lunch we walked down to the wharf and admired the views. The day was so clear that I was able to see snow-capped Mount Cook in the distance.
We started the drive back and stopped at Neil's Beach. This was a long rocky beach with lots of drift wood. We had that section of the beach all to ourselves.
We took a side road that headed inland and walked a short trail to Ellery Lake. This was another easy walk through the rain forest. The trail followed Ellery Creek to the lake. The lake was another peaceful spot: we encountered only one other couple along the trail.
On the return drive back to the motel, we stopped again at the Hapuka Estuary Walk where it was now high tide. The muddy flat had turned into a lake. I took a photo at the same spot to compare it to what it looked like in the morning.
