After leaving Okarito, we headed north along the west coast. The views were nice, but not as special as along some of the other routes we have travelled.

One of the places we were due to pass through was Hokitika, which had become synonymous with us for bad weather because when we were planning our trip we kept reading about how much rain fell on the place. This view had been reinforced by the constant dark clouds and rain drops which seemed to be permanently fixed over Hokitika on the NZ Met Service's weather forecasts.

However, once we reached Hokitika, lo and behold the sun was shining! So rather than pass through at high speed we turned off and had a wander around what turned out to be a rather nice little town. There were loads of shops and craft centres selling jade, for which the area is renowned, and other jewellery including gold. We didn't buy any because of the cost, mind you.

As we went back to Blanche, we realised we had parked her outside a fish and chip shop. It was lunchtime and the smell proved irresistible so we just had to buy a small bag of chips to share. The shop, which was called Porkies, seemed to be operating an unusual system of cooking and serving. In every other chip shop we've been in, chips are cooked constantly and kept hot, then served as and when required. Sometimes fish is also prepared in this way, though at others it is cooked to order.

In Porkies, however, everything was cooked fresh - even the chips. So we were given a number on our receipt and waited around with everyone else. We could see our raw potatoes placed in a small wire basket and put into a queue of similarly waiting items; when its turn came, it was lowered into the fat, then cooked and drained, and finally put in a bag and served up to us. It took what seemed like ages, but the chips were good enough to be worth the wait!

When we reached Greymouth, we checked into our campsite for four nights and because the weather was still pleasant for the afternoon went for a walk on the beach which was a few yards away. The site turned out to be one of our favourites, even though the weather turned wet for the next few days. It wasn't just that it rained, it was torrential rain - banging down on the roof and forming lakes and rivers on the ground rather than just puddles and streamlets.

The campsite, however, had the advantages of being remarkably cheap at NZ$22.50 a night (with a 10% discount with our Kiwi group card), had the IAC internet system to which we subscribe, and best of all… a free hot tub! Katy was in her element (literally, warm water) and we spent a couple of long sessions in the bubbles. Even I had to admit it felt pretty luxurious given that we had been using campsite showers for the past couple of months!

One of the reasons we stayed a while in Greymouth was that we were waiting for a gap in the weather to visit Arthur's Pass, which is located on a mountainous road to Christchurch on the east coast. When we had a half decent day, we therefore packed up the van and headed off. The drive and scenery is meant to be spectacular, but in our opinion fell quite a long way short of that. Yes, there were towering mountains and steep drops, but nothing to reach the standards we have experienced elsewhere in the country.

The best part of the day was when we stopped at a lookout to take a photo of one of the views and found a Kea sitting on a sign. Keas are New Zealand's native species of parrot. They're not covered in "beautiful plumage" (unlike the fabled Norwegian Blue!), and look rather brown until they spread their wings to reveal rainbow shimmers on their under-feather. They are also notorious for attacking the rubber around car windscreens and trying to chew it off. This one, however, just sat on the sign, posed for photos and accepted food from people - despite the signs saying 'Don't feed the Keas'. We can only assume it couldn't read?

Ok, this is turning into a bit of a food-dominated blog, but now I have to tell you about the highlight of our stay in Greymouth. It was something even better than the free spa. Something for which we had been on the lookout ever since Invercargill. Something which had tortured us for weeks…

Broccoflower!!!

Yes, while we were in the supermarket we finally found this legendary vegetable again. For those who missed it before, the broccoflower is a cross between a cauliflower and broccoli. It looks essentially like a green cauli, though the ones in Invercargill had a purplish hue on the top and this one was bright green.

We even changed our menu a bit to incorporate the broccoflower, but no sacrifice would have been too great. The taste was pretty much as you would expect - like a cauliflower, but softer and more delicate, not so bitter. And a nice green colour on your plate rather than a washed out cream.

So all of you at home have to watch out for broccoflower from now on. And if you can't find any, what better excuse could you have for a nice long trip around New Zealand?

Richard