Lewis Pass

At Punakaiki we decided to leave the rain-sodden, bug-infested west coast and head across the island on the Lewis Pass, eventually to Kaikoura, which we much enjoyed in 2014.

Stopped for lunch at the Slab Hut Creek campground and fossicking
area

Board walk to bathroom

In case you don't know what fossicking is--we didn't--and we
didn't do any since I left our pan in storage in Montana

The Creek; note the little channel to the right

In Reefton, a bubble-blowing machine in one of the residences
on main street, to amuse visitors

Thus

Many interesting shoppes, especially collectibles

Royal Doulton Shakespearian dishes

Child's (toy) chain saw

In another shoppe, with hundreds of dolls (but no Sweetie Pie)

Quite a few Chuckies

The Fairlie Engine, 1878; articulated to navigate severe curves
in the mountains

Big-time mining town, once

Interesting little town

The Lewis Pass is said to be less dramatic than the Arthur Pass;
well, we didn't find the Arthur Pass very dramatic, and the Lewis
Pass had its moments

Another east-bound outwash plain, heading toward the coast;
we're still looking for the Clark Pass; we spent the night at a
designated Freedom Camp in Rotheram

International House of Punakaiki

We visited the pancake rocks at Punakaiki in 2014 and also in 2009. Again, in 2018, we were trying to hit the rocks at high tide, to see the blow-hole in full action. Alas...

Pancakes

Blowhole reservoir

Blowhole...down there...apparently has Monday off...the DOC ranger person
explained that the winds have to be from the southwest (which they were not)
for it to work; I have now officially given up on Punakaiki

Major pancakes

Us, there, at high tide

Double rainbow over the nearby campground later

And a walk on the beach

Road where the washout was (previous post)

Haast Pass And The West Coast, 2

We drove on the next day, February 5th, through Hokitika and Greymouth to the pancake rocks at Punakaika. At last the road returned to the coast and the marvelous seascapes reappeared.

On the beach at favorite Hokitika, site of much of Eleanor Catton's
The Luminaries, a favorite novel; we would have walked the
lovely town, but it was pouring rain, and we needed to be at
Punkaiki for the high tide...

Another one-way bridge

This time shared with trains ("Give Way")

Seascapes...among my favorite bits about NZ

In 2014, we walked out among some of these...at low tide

Still more damage from the cyclone

Keep right

Further down from Panakaiki, a really major washout; but note
that the NZ roads department has characteristically provided for
a bike/pedestrian lane, nonetheless