Family time at Lake Ferry, Wairarapa

We visited Lake Ferry, on the south coast of the Wairarapa, over the New Year. It’s a place of incredible wild, rugged beauty and only a half hour drive from Martinborough.

The small beach village, on the shores of Lake Onoke, is known for its fishing, particularly ‘white bait’, where Lake Onoke meets the sea.

The ocean that crashes on the sandy and stoney shore is not to be messed with.

This isn’t a safe place to swim. The tidal currents are strong and mesmerising to watch (the girls enjoyed throwing sticks in and watching how fast they travelled!). Experienced surfers visit to take advantage of the exceptional surf when Lake Onoke is emptying into Palliser Bay.

This is a beach that people come for fishing, walking, enjoying the amazing scenery looking over to the South Island and watching the sunsets over Palliser Bay.

The driftwood that is strewn along the tidal path is vast in its size and volume.

Charred pieces of driftwood lay in evidence of evenings gathered around a campfire, under the amazing starlit skies.

We spent an afternoon strolling along the shore, paddling (dodging dead fish heads!), watching people fish and enjoying the children’s creative and playful minds, as they turned driftwood into various objects, from balancing beams to Harry Potter type broom sticks!