We left Greymouth this morning heading for the north end of the South island. We thought we had about a 4 hour drive and I assured Randy I thought we would only have one stop with a short hike. However......within 5 miles of Greymouth we had already stopped 3 times for photos. The coastal drive from Greymouth to Westport was spectacular. It certainly compares to the Great Ocean Road in AU or perhaps surpasses it. We stopped at the Punakaika Pancake Rocks which are very amazingly eroded rocks from the waves that hit this area.
It amazes us how we can drive along coastline and then rainforest and then into the plains within a very short distance. We drove through the gold mining country and mountain driving that had lots and twists and turns! There are lots of bicyclists which looks quite painful to me as they are climbing these mountains that our camper is having a tough time with. A surprising number of woman biking alone.
Two quite large NZ birds are the Kea and the Weka which we have seen quite often. The fruit is being harvested about now and there is an abundance in this area at roadside stands.
Tonight we are at Motueka which is on the coast of Abel Tasman National Park. We need to get a good nights rest as tomorrow we plan to do an all day kayak and hiking trip from here.