Surprisingly, despite the rain yesterday and the ferocity of the river, when I woke in the morning the water level had gone down a couple of feet and the river, while still moving fast, was not as scary as the day previously. I quickly checked the road conditions and was happy to discover that the road to the west coast was completely open- no detour required! After a few early morning meetings (yes, I am doing some work on this trip) I was on the road heading west. My goal for the day was to reach Hokitka, where I planed to spend two nights. The drive was straightforward, I was pretty much going to be on Highway 6 the whole time.
Yesterday the water level was up to both BBQ grills. It dropped quite a bit overnight.
It was still cloudy and overcast as I headed out of Murchison. The highway followed the Buller river west so I continued to have scenic views of the water driving its way through the gorge. There were many spots where the road was reduced to one lane because of rock spills from the storm or other debris, but the road teams were out working on clearing it all. As I headed west I could sense the coast approaching as the river slowed and widened in its preparation to join the Tasman Sea. At the coast I followed the road south, planning on stopping in Punakaiki to see the famous pancake rocks and blow holes. It was an easy drive and I was excited to see the sun peaking from the clouds once I hit the coast.
Punakaiki is a well-known stop for travelers on the west coast. The best time to see the blow holes is to visit at high-tide and I was fortunate in arriving just slightly after peak high tide. I parked the camper van and headed across the road to the boardwalk which traces its way through the many rock formations and provides spectacular views of the coast. Long before I walked to the first viewing platform I could hear the sonorous booms of the wind-driven tide hitting the rocks; constant “thump, thump” noises echoed back along the path. Driving down the coast I had glimpses of the Tasman Sea and the waves crashing into the shoreline were pretty dynamic!
An example of the pancake rocks. Really cool structures!
Some more pancake structures with the active sea in the background.
The pancake rocks are called such because of the way the water has eroded the rock, resulting in a layered structure that looks like stacks of pancakes. In addition, the rock structure in the area had all kinds of holes and cavities carved out and when the tide arrives, especially with the wind behind it, the water is pushed forcibly into the caverns and up into the cavities, creating blowholes. I spent quite a bit of time wandering from vantage point to vantage point observing the show. The waves were relentless and water was getting tossed around in all directions. The energy involved was incredible and I would not want to be caught in the middle of the wave action. The experience is best shared in pictures.
So many great photos of this area because of the interesting rock formations.
Leaving Punakaiki, I continued my journey south to Hokitika. Having looked ahead at the weather forecast after being forewarned by the gentleman at the Murchison campground, I decided to stop by the Hokitka Gorge before checking in at the beachfront campground I had booked. The weather on Thursday was looking pretty grim and I did not want to miss seeing the gorge. The gorge is only about a 30 minute drive out of Hokitika and surprisingly an easy one, through a flat river valley. (I was expecting to have to drive up along winding, twisty roads into the mountains.). Apparently the gorge is right where the Hokitika river spits out of the mountains into the river valley, so it is easily accessible. Parking, I walked the nicely defined and well-maintained circuit walk that included multiple different scenic look-outs and two swing bridges. As I am not a fan of heights, I traversed the swing bridges with caution (because, well–they swing!). It’s probably just as well I did not get a chance to visit the 171m swing bridge the day before! The gorge was beautiful, with the aquamarine water flowing past relatively calmly, heading to its union with the Tasman Sea. The path also wound through what looked like a rain forest, another testimony to how much rain this part of the country gets.
On one of the swing bridges, I stopped to (carefully) take a selfie with my new camera.
Another view of the Hokitika river flowing through the gorge. Note the water is NOT muddy and brown!
I finally checked in at the campground around 5:30 and settled in for the night. I erased all of my original plans for the next day, anticipating rain and lots of it. Sure enough around 10pm, the rain started along with some fairly strong winds. Thunderstorms hit in the morning, with wind gusts reaching 40mph. I remained in my cozy camper catching up on some work and doing some trip planning. Around 1pm the weather improved enough that I donned my rain gear and made the 20 minute walk into town to explore the jade galleries and the town in general. The wind was still ferocious, especially when I went for a brief walk on the beach, but luckily the rain had ceased for the time being. I spent a couple of hours exploring, made a quick trip to the grocery store and headed back to shelter as the rain was coming in again. So, generally, I had a quiet, productive day in my house on wheels. Tonight I am keeping an eye on the road conditions as I head further south into glacier country tomorrow.
If you are looking for a place to get driftwood, Hokitika beach is a good bet! The wave action here is series. There is even a “Hokitika” sign made out of driftwood right behind the town on the beach. Famous picture spot, but alas, no one was around to take my picture with the sign-probably because the weather was awful!