Spectre by Timothy Poulton

Spectre by Timothy Poulton

Take a hike to one of the most stunning beaches on the South Island of New Zealand, which used to be something of a well-kept secret. Wharariki Beach, just a few kilometres from Farewell Spit and the northern-most tip of the South Island, used to be something of a well-kept secret. Well, that’s how it felt when I first visited it. But sometime in the intervening decade, someone’s spread the word about this remote, wild and wonderful coastline. Maybe a guidebook is responsible, or even a blog… in which case I’m possibly about to make things worse. It’s not that Wharariki is now the domain of bumper-to-bumper tourist buses, Mr Whippy vans, and architecturally designed beach homes — there are none of these. It is just that where there would once be one or two cars parked literally at the end of the road and nothing else, there is now a car park, signboards, a coffee caravan and a dunny. It’s hardly The Church Of The Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo, but it’s a little less untouched than it was. However, because Wharariki can be reached only by a walk variously described as taking 15, 20 or 30 minutes, it is never going to be overrun with visitors. There’s a bit of a slog up a sandhill or two as well, which might put off even a few would-be walkers. The shortest walking track into Wharariki begins with a gentle climb through pastureland dotted with sheep. It then winds through a grove of Manuka before emerging on the first of several ridges of high sandhills. Although this beach is almost north-facing, it is technically a West Coast beach and is often buffeted by tempestuous winds that stir up large seas. The manuka provides an early-warning system — if the wind is blowing gale on the beach, the forest will be alive with creaking and groaning. However, on the day we visited the air was still and the sky scattered with wispy clouds. Wharariki’s swathe of white sand swept into huge dunes by the wind would be spectacular enough on their own. But Wharariki is book-ended by sheer cliffs and off the beach are monumental wave-buffeted islands. Over the millennia the cliffs and islands have been eaten away by the sea, creating arches, stacks, and caves. Definitely a must for any serious landscape photographer visiting the South Island of New Zealand,

Timothy Poulton: Photos