Wesport to Lake Mahinapua

Today our journey began down State Highway 6, which stretches 435kms along the rugged Tasman shoreline from Westport in the north to Haast Junstion in the south. The road winds through a diverse series of landscapes: fertile farmland and scrubby bush, sparsely populated towns and deserted goldfields, the lush green of the rain forests and the snow of the Southern Alps, truly amazing.

A short drive from town is Cape Foulwind and Tauranga Bay where we had the chance to walk to one of New Zealand's largest seal colonies, but I was horse trekking so unable to see them, oh well apparently they smelt really bad anyway and murged into the rocks, bring very similar colours.

We stopped to check out the Punakaiki (Poo-na-kai-key) Pancake Rocks and blowholes. The Pancake rocks are a series of stratified limestone stacks which, over many years, have been eroded to give the effect of giant piles oneatly stacked pancakes. Another prominent feature is the blowholes that, at high tide throw up columns of dazzling spray, but we didnt get there at the right time and so didn't get to see them in operation.

Leaving Punakaiki our next stop was Greymouth where we picked up people joining us from Christchurch from the Tranz Alpine train and did some shopping for the evening's huge BBQ.

We finally stopped further south at Lake Mahinapua (Maa-he-naa-poo-a) Hotel where we spent thenight and met the legendary Les Lisle (an 80 year old publican). After out meal, it was time for us to get changed into our costumes for our group beach party fancy dress evening of yet again more drinking.