OVER THE HILL

If you’ve got some spare time, I recommend renting a car and heading over Ta¯kaka Hill to check out gorgeous Golden Bay. The highlight of my trip was a visit to Alpacas Off Grid (alpacasgoffgrid.com), where I spent a couple of hours hanging out with, walking and feeding these beautiful creatures on a rustic wee homestead nestled deep in the bush. There are lots of lovely walks nearby, but my pick is the Harwoods Hole Track, a 45-minute stroll through thick beech forest and dramatic limestone rock formations that ends in what is known as New Zealand’s deepest vertical shaft. It’s basically a bloody big hole, but the view from the Gorge Creek Lookout is worth the hike. Next time, I’ll stay overnight with the alpacas (there’s an outdoor spa!) and check out the moa bones inside the Ngarua Caves.