The coach left at 8 am, and we drove up a steep hill for a quick view from the lookout. The driver, Wayne, did his morning run to the top and back before breakfast.
A large part of the day was spent driving through the Buller Gorge, with great native bush and glimpses of the river. Evidently when it is in flood, it captures the title of the largest river in the country for sheer volume of water. Along the lower Buller, we had our first spot of rain, just a short shower before the sun reappeared.
Lunch at Westport, then a lovely drive beside the coast to Punakaiki. I have had this on my want to see list for many years, and could have stayed a lot longer than the 40 minutes we were given. Great booming noises, spray being thrown into the air, and stunning rocks. The icing on the cake was that the shop had a relevant bookmark, most unusual for New Zealand.
Photos are courtesy of Google, as we have mislaid the camera, and were not able to get the shots from the phone across to the laptop.
We got to Greymouth just on 5pm, and after checking our room, headed out for a walk along the sea wall before it got too dark. They have a really good walk, with lots of sculptures along the way, and many interesting old buildings. It was a shame we had not time to go further, although the wind was just a little chilly to stay out too long. This is another place I could happily stay for several days.
Something very Jurassic about Punakiki.
ReplyDelete