NZ Inland Pack Track, and Pancake Rocks and Blowholes (Wednesday, February 17)

We were supposed to meet at the Monsoon Cafe at 7:30 this morning, and we did! But whoever was supposed to be there to prepare breakfast apparently overslept, so we got a little bit of a late start. Our crew is very adept at packing up now, so all in all, we were only 15 minutes late getting on the road. It’s all good.

We did have rain, rain, rain today. We’ve had absolutely fabulous weather for the entire trip so far, but now we’re on the west coast and in the rain forest, and we can tell. It’s wet, though not particularly cold, so that’s good.

A couple of hours drive (first picture is of a great coast scene) to a small town called Hokatika. Here we had an hour or so to shop (NZ greenstone, AKA NZ jade, is found in quantities here, so places to buy it are abundant) or do whatever, before lunch. Diana and I didn’t feel like shopping since we’d done so much in Queenstown, so we went to the local Kiwi House. There were lots of local fish on display, plus giant eels, but the highlight was certainly the two Kiwis we saw.

The Kiwi is a nocturnal bird, so in the Kiwi Houses they switch day and night so people can see them. It’s very dark, and you have to be patient and look carefully, but eventually they come in view. What a funny bird! Bigger than either of us expected (volleyball size, with a long beak and longish sturdy legs). It moves pretty quickly, too. Each (one male and one female in different spaces) ended up walking right in front of us. That was cool!

Lunch at a very nice place called Stella’s, and then we were on the road again–still in the rain.

Another hour or so, and we arrived at Paparoa National Park. First up was a couple-of-hour hike on a portion of the Inland Pack Trail. Since it was still raining, we all trussed up in our rain gear and headed out. The trail was really beautiful, even in the rain. You can tell from the pictures…

The first portion of the trail was uphill, and soon I was divesting of hat, then fleece vest, then rain jacket, then rain pants. I always generate a lot of heat when I exercise, and I felt that the inside of my jacket was turning into a sauna. I ended up with just my thin shirt and quick-dry pants and let myself get wet to cool off. It was perfect. Better to be cool and wet than hot and wet from sweat! 🙂

In the midst of these pictures, you’ll see a bird. I would have missed him but some other folks pointed him out. Once they left, he flew from a branch right down on the trail beside me and I got a pretty good shot!

Everyone was thoroughly soaked when we got back on the bus. This was the first test of our rain gear and some found theirs worked, and some didn’t. Might be worrisome for tomorrow, since we’re off on our hike to a back country hut and it’s supposed to rain, rain, and rain some more.

Anyway, we then checked into the hotel and had a couple of hours to clean up and start sorting. I got a laundry done, which was nice. We got our lists for what we’ll need for our trip tomorrow, and each got pack liners to put inside the backpacks to keep things dry. We’re ditching everything not essential for the hike and “primitive” camping. Everything else will be loaded on the bus to catch up with us when we get back.

After starting on this, we took a break for a trip to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes walk. This was blessedly rain free and just a half-hour round trip, but we made it longer with pictures! What an interesting dolomite formation. The rocks in many places look like pancakes stacked on each other, and where some of the rocks wear away allows water to come rushing through. I could have stayed longer, but we had dinner reservations so had to head back. The last picture you’ll see today is Diana waving good-bye to you for tonight. 🙂

Dinner was fish and chips, but since I don’t eat fish, they let me choose a pizza instead. I chose Hawaiian, and it was good. Then fruit and vanilla ice cream with cinnamon on it. We’re eating really well on this trip, but lots more than I’m used to. Hope I’m using a commensurate number of calories, but I’m not sure I am!

When we got back to the hotel, Kirsten took us to a place to see glow worms. They just light up the night with little lights. I’m curious what they actually look like, because the light is all you can see. I’ll have to investigate.

The next three days are supposed to be a hiking/camping trip. Because of the weather being so rainy, with gale-force winds possible, we might have to make other plans after the first day. In any case, I think I’m going to opt out of the second two days. It’s a steep and long hike up, and then the same down. Since I have another week after this on the North Island, and since I’m a slow hiker, and since the rain could make the whole adventure pretty miserable, I’m pretty sure I’m going to choose a less strenuous alternative. But we should be OK for the first-day hike to the first hut.

So, no internet tomorrow at least. Next update will have what Diana and I both decided to do!

For now, good night from rainy, but still fabulous, New Zealand!