The Wild West Coast

Kia ora e hoa ma!

We've been exploring the very western reaches of NZ's south island which is ruggedly wild and sparsely populated.  On this leg of our journey, we made our way to the settlement of Karamea.  This is the last town (population of 365) in the area.  The sealed road has long since disappeared and we've become experts at driving washboard gravel roads.  Plodding along at 30 mph seems less slow these days as we've been doing it for so long it seems.  But the bumpy roads and slow travel are always rewarded with yet another spectacular surprise of natural beauty.  New Zealand continues to fascinate us with its complexity.

The Punakaiki Pancake Rocks are limestone formations formed 30 million years ago from minute fragments of dead marine creatures and plants.  Then seismic action lifted the plates above sea level where wind/rain/sea water are gradually eroding the limestone into these magical features.





Paparoa Forest is a sub-tropical forest different than any other forest we've found before in NZ.  A warm water current from Australia flows up this coastline creating the perfect misty tropics environment. 





Traditional Maori art with a modern twist frames the entrance to this sacred forest.

Weka's are wild birds that are very curious and always looking for something tasty to eat. Unlike their Kiwi cousins, Weka's have adapted to humans so we've had lots of fun watching them wander around the yards of our various VRBO's.  

Mom & very young chick.  

Our last stop on this West Coast tour was at the Oparara Basin.  The area is known for it's limestone archways created by the Oparara river over thousands of years.   This river is tannin colored due to all the minerals that leach from the forest floor but it is crystal clear and clean.  Which means the river also unexpectedly offered us a chance to spot rare Blue Ducks. 


Success - blue ducks were spotted on this gorgeous river!

Moria Gate Arch

Oparara Arch is the largest stone arch in the southern hemisphere at 718 feet long

Such beauty when water and stone meet for thousands of years.

It's time for us to move on and head over to the famous Abel Tasman/Marlborough region.  On the way, we drove through Buller Gorge which boasts having the longest swing bridge in New Zealand.  The bridge is 360 feet long and spans the gorge 65 feet above the river.  

Walking on this thing is not for the faint of heart!

Hanging on for sure!

We hope that you each had a good Thanksgiving even though it was probably very different than usual.  This is our second Thanksgiving away from friends and family.   We miss everyone but are thankful for our many adventures here at the bottom of the world. We are grateful for your love and friendship.

Hugs to All!

Cheryl & Dan

 




 





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