The next morning, we departed ways for a bit. Our friends had to do some hard driving all the way back across the island to Christchurch (6+ hours) to pick up a campervan (because of the mix-up they had only been issued an economy car for a week earlier) and planned to continue their travels to Mt Cook/Aoraki and then to Milford Sound. While we wanted to hang out with them, we did not want to do all that driving. So, we figured we would also head south via the West Coast, and see if we could catch up with them at Milford Sound, which we hadn’t visited yet. Before leaving, Jonathan repaired a few things in the van with parts our friends had brought us. We were happy to have a fully functioning vent fan again.
They also brought us a replacement colander so we could say goodbye to the one I had Jonathan piece back together for me.
Before heading to Nelson earlier in the week, we had tried to do Fox River Cave Walk, only to discover that access had been closed for 2 years already because of a landslide. We had considered still doing the walk until the closed section, but I wanted to wait until we could continue to the Ballroom Overhang. So, we made a beeline for the walk.
Like Oparara Basin, this area is also known for its limestone landscapes.
Upon seeing this, we realized why the Fox River Cave Walk was no longer open, even after 2 years. Not even sure the caves still exist!
Nikau Palms, native to NZ.
Nikau palm trunk.
A fantail.
After that we continued to wind our way down the coast. The coastal landscape reminded me a lot of Victoria’s or California’s. It is definitely worth a drive if you have the time.
Some of the road had washed away in the last storms to blow through.
A visit to Punakaiki Cavern.
And a visit to Pancake Rocks.
No comments:
Post a Comment