Farewell Spit Tours

Offering sustainable visits to Golden Bay’s most iconic geographic feature for over 70 years, the family-run Farewell Spit Tours is the perfect way to visit this protected bird sanctuary.

A 34-kilometre-long natural sandspit, Farewell Spit curves into the waters of Golden Bay while powerful winds shape the sand into ever-moving dunes. It’s also a crucial stopover for 20 thousand migratory wader birds like godwits and knots. 

The 6.5-hour signature Farewell Spit Tour gives you a full sense of the splendour of the Spit. You’ll get a chance to climb one of the larger sand dunes for a panoramic view around the Bay, and stop off at the historic steel lighthouse near the Spit's tip. Stunning cliffside views and the chance to spot birds and fossils are also a given. If you don’t have a full day to spare, the shorter, two-hour Wader Watch Bird Tour will give you a taste of the Spit’s ecology, with birdwatching near the base of the Spit at high tide. 

Farewell Spit Tours helps keep the area predator-free by working with the Department of Conservation to trap stoats, rats, and possums; organise and provide transportation for annual clean-ups; and ensure tours avoid fragile areas of the Spit to protect the environment and wildlife that call it home.