To punakaki-a paradise, perfect tea and pancakes of both kinds!

Punakaki, a wee place on the west coast, its wee but has made a big dent in my memories.

The first glimpse of the coast,crashing waves and clear to see the power of the sea witch has ripped this coast line. dark rugged sand, small rounded stones and pebbles, inlets, headlands and bays, stacks, and limstone thats been eroded...pancake city! The pancake rocks, wow, the weathering of the limstoe from the rain and wind has created the pancake apperance and from below the waves have crashed in and eroded the limstone creating plunge pools at high tide and the famous blow holes. Ariving on a blue sky afternoon very very lucky, and then very lucky to be staying at the best backpackers i have stayed at yet. Its just like the house i wood like. The main building is clear when you first drive in then down little paths to the small hideaways and other accomodation. Imaculate, friendly, homely and amzing tea! I couldnt be more happyer! Seen as though we are at the punakaki we had to make our own pancakes, so pancakes bacon egss and maple syrup...(i am traveling in style, and the american girl i am with was extremly happy when i said how much i loved that combination). A great evening, saddly the clouds think so not that incredable west coast sunset but still worth standing out until the stars appeared.

Now high tide at 12.09am in the morning....its not everyday you can see blow holes in the dark, so we went on a little adevnture!! alot of fun.

However yesterday we went to see high tide in the daylight.....the power of those waves clear to see..the fact that you feel like its raining emphasises how the waves pound up through the blow holes.

I spent a wee while exploring punakaki cavern, some small calcite deposits the start of stalactites, pitch balck just the head torch as i explored around the cave for a while. Then spending the afternoon exploring the beach, and wrighting my journal. There are numerous tracks to walk at around the area but it was nice to take the shocks and boots of and walk along thebeach for afew hours.

Last nyte i drove back to where id walked to try and catch a sunset, better than the previous night and i saw a taste of how amazing a sunset can be hear, alot of cloud but gaps that should the pink/red/orange coloration as i sat on the sand just me the waves and the sun setting.

Now this morning, walking up with the trees outside and blue sky, a relaxing morning drinking more of this amazing tea and now catching up on my blogs. I will head to the beach for another walk before heading to arthurs pass, making my way back to christchurch for friday. The west coast is almost finished for me so now through the middle.

p.s hundreds of photos to upload they are coming ive not forgot- you have-more mountains, the perfect tree, glaciers at eye level, glaciers and mountains from below, pancake rocks, the west coastline, lakes, and alot more to look forward to!