To say it rained all night in Moana is an understatement. It fairly bucketed down and this morning it wasn't any better.  

We are to meet Denis, an ex-cop colleague, from way back when ......., at Punakaiki Pancake Rocks. Denis lives in Westport and had kindly set aside his day to be our very own local guide. Unless the weather picked up, the only thing we would be doing today is finding a dry spot to park up for the night.

The trip between Greymouth to Punakaiki took us along a rugged coastline; such a shame it was raining vertically with huge winds and it took all concentration to drive safely. It was only early morning but it was very darkoutside. We could barely see the Tasman sea rolling in on our left with native bush on our right. Little to no traffic on the road.. Clever people were staying at home,sheltering from this onslaught. and even in the rain the beauty of what was immediately in front and beside us, is not diminished. The road goes from right near the beach and then climbs to cliffs high above the beach before coming back down again - the views would have been spectacular on a clear day. So much cloud and sea mist down to the road. No photos today. Bad light and nothing to see. Pity!Many Nikau palm trees line much of this highway.The road is windy and single lane each direction. We arrived at Punakaiki Rocks and waited in the car park for Denis. The rain was even more wild, people were coming innto the car park and staying in their cars for a break in the weather. Good luck with that!   
 Others, namely a minivan of Asian tourists, were game for anything and donned their $2 emergency lightweight, plastic ponchos and braved stepping out, only to be caught by the driving rain and wind and slapped around by their wet ponchos. It was a surreal scene which looked like some alien wrapping itself around its victim before consuming. Ah well, I suppose you had to be there. Anyway I digress.Denis arrived and showed us a few sights from the road as he guided us to Westport. The rain had eased a little but photos really didnt turn out well at all.
By the time we got to Westport, the rain had stopped and the wide streets flooded at the kerbside. The Carters Beach motor camp hadn't advertised a swimming pool in its driveway, but indeed that's what they had.
Denis kindly picked us up at 4pm and with a few bright patches in the sky, the afternoon started to clear nicely.. We drove to Cape Foulwind and walked the track, together with numerous Wekas, to the seal colony. They were a distance below the viewing platform but in clear sight. Awesome vista too. Denis showed us around, driving here and there for another couple of hours until it was too dark to see much else. A hearty meals was had by all, a few stories shared from the good old days and our host took us back to the van. We are in your debt Denis. We got to see so much of what we wouldn't have thought possible this afternoon and we thank you so much.