After an early morning dip in the springs (and the bugs), we headed towards the west coast with SFC in Blacks Point. At Westport, Jono let us off while he went to shop for our upcoming BBQ, and we hiked around Cape Foulwind. Another beautiful coastal hike, including the long-awaited seals. We met for lunch at the Bay House Restaurant, and after a longish wait, were finally fed. It was a small place and they really didn't have room for all of us! The grounds around the Bay House were nice while we waited - Pohutakawa Trees, a rocky coast and some lovely garden flowers. We continued our drive south, ending the day in Punakaiki at some beach cottages. Jono once again showed us why he is the bus driver of the year - no road to small! Some folks went for a hike along the Porori River, and others napped. We had a great BBQ that night, cooked out in the open on a grill, with lots of good munchies and beer and wine. Unfortuately, the bugs were hungry too.
In the morning, we take a stroll through the Pancake Rocks - limestone formations with thin beds of mud between them giving them their distinct look, and took another hike along the magnificent coast, this time at Port Elizabeth where we saw our first Pa Pa Patch. A Pa is the remains of a Maori fortification - terraces high along the hillside. After SFC in Hokitiki, we continued south ending the day with a short climb up Canavans Knob to get a view of Franz Josef Glacier. We checked into the Fox Glacier Hotel and took a well deserved rest before our glacier activities the next day.
Pictures:
The BBQ
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