Well, not really Westport as I left there and went to Cape Foulwind. My new goal is going to be lighthouses of the World. I'll start with the one at Cape Foulwind and go from there. Guess I should research others in NZ while I'm here...
It was a lovely hike at the Cape. But why, oh why, must everything be uphill? Both ways?! My poor legs and feet are just never gonna be the same... From the Cape I went to Tauranga and saw the seal colony. Not nearly as much fun as the Kaikoura pups, but cool. Of course there was a hike - it wouldn't be proper if there wasn't now would it??
From there I forced myself to continue southbound. I say forced because I swear I couldn't go 10km without having to stop for just one more picture of the beautiful rocky coast. The west coast is simply stunning. Incomparable. Breathtaking. Anyway, I finally made it to Punakaiki, which means pancake rocks I've been told. I wouldn't know as I never made it to them, I was sidetracked for a while at a cool beach/cliff place that was awe-inspiring. I have got to figure out how to add video to this blog. The swells coming in were big and it was a bit rough out, so amazing to watch them come in on the rocks and outcroppings and through the blowholes.
I admit to getting in a bit of a hurry after that as it had already been 5 hours and I had barely made it to just over halfway through my 3 hour drive. I did stop in Greymouth for supplies, then headed on to Hokitika. Did a drive through there and went straight away to Lake Kaniere. For those that don't know, there is a photo I love of a pier on a glass smooth mountain lake. That lake is Lake Kainere. I found that pier. And if here hadn't been someone getting a ski lesson, it woulda been glass smooth dang it! Yes, I took my own pictures. I also (first) found a different pier. And a dog. And because of Molly the dog, gained access to that pier and an invite to a cup of tea. The first pier I found is my favorite, but the really good photos are on the camera. I'll share those when I get back to Wellington. The tea, well, coffee for me, was lovely. Grant was the gentleman's name and I apparently reminded him of his daughter. He lives at he lake and was happy to share it with me. I'm telling ya, the people here are great! When I finished my coffee, I headed off to the other side of the lake which is where I found the pier from the photo. And a sweet family of ducks. I have pictures of both. I may head back in the morning as I am still in Hokitika. The sun was setting while I was still at the lake, so I didn't make it far (thanks KB for the great find!) before hitting the bed, which is where I am typing this from (though it won't get posted until tomorrow).
Tomorrow I head back to Picton (& maybe back to the lake beforehand) and may make the ferry. Or not, as I just don't know how dang long it'll take me to get there!
Oh, forgot to mention one of the neatest sights I've seen... I stopped at a glow worm dell. 'A what?' you ask? The larvae stage of some creature here glows in the dark to attract food. It is amazing to see, but really hard to photograph when you don't bring our tripod with you on the hike... They hang out in large numbers in the trees and there is one spot in Hokitika that is sectioned off and has a walkway that you traverse in the dark to see these neat creatures. That's the glow worm dell.
Photos coming from the phone!
