Conservation initiatives are in progress towards eliminating mammalian predators from Farewell Spit, including a proposal for a predator-proof fence.

Captain James Cook was the next European visitor in 1770,[2] showing Farewell Spit as a broad peninsula on his maps.

On the northern side are more recent sand masses that undergo active erosion and accumulation as a result of winds and the deposition from the longshore current.

[7] The northern side of the dunes are steeper and unstable being constantly exposed to the prevailing winds that average over 25 km/h (16 mph).

[2] These habitats support internationally important numbers of bar-tailed godwit, red knot, ruddy turnstone and banded dotterel, as well as the endemic variable and South Island pied oystercatchers.

[19] A study of shorebirds in the top of the South Island, commissioned by the Nelson City and Tasman District councils, was published in 2013.

Farewell Spit typically has more than 20,000 shorebirds present during summer and spring, and this meets the criteria for recognition under Ramsar Convention Criterion 5 as a wetland site of international importance.

Surveys have found an average of 11,872 godwits are present in the summer period, representing 9.1% of the total estimated numbers of this species in the flyway.

[29] Farewell Spit has been identified as the largest moulting site for black swans in the country, with up to 15% of the total population present between November and March.

[7] The adjoining Puponga Farm was originally purchased by the Crown to serve primarily as a buffer zone to protect the Farewell Spit Nature Reserve.

Puponga Farm Park serves as a visitor management and servicing area for the Farewell Spit Nature Reserve.

The Onetahua Restoration project has been launched with the aim of eradicating pests from Whanganui Inlet on the West Coast, all the way to Farewell Spit, covering an area of more than 12,000 ha (30,000 acres).

[35] The original timber tower did not stand up well to the frequent blasting by the sand and salt-laden winds experienced at the end of the spit.

The hardwood used started to decay rapidly and the original tower was replaced in 1897 by the present structure, the only steel latticework lighthouse in New Zealand.

[36] The lighthouse keeper's house and two accommodation buildings are still being maintained for use by the Department of Conservation, Maritime New Zealand, and tour groups.

These tours provide an opportunity to view the large sand dunes, visit the lighthouse area and the gannet colony.

Most of these incidents occurred when a vessel became grounded on sand in shallow water near the Spit either through navigational errors or being driven ashore in adverse weather.