The drive up the west coast was varied again. Hairpin bends in rainforests followed by wide valleys and windswept coasts. The towns along the coast were very small, and most looked run down. At Hokitika artistic locals had made driftwood sculptures on the beach. Driftwood is a real feature of this coast, including tree sized pieces. We passed Greymouth where we were to get the train, a sign said "Welcome to the Grey District" an apt slogan! ''
At first sight Punakaiki didn't have a lot to recommend it. The hotel looked out on the sea but we had half a view of the back of the restaurant building. As is common in NZ the hotel was environmentally friendly, including dimming hotel lights at nights to protect the burrowing petrels (how low light did this I don't know). The hotel menu looked overpriced and unexciting so we headed for the Punakaiki Tavern for beer and bar food. As we were entering Sue was accosted by a pretty young woman with blond boyfriend in tow. When she started to kiss Sue I thought something was awry. The girl was called Becca and was Sue's hairdresser from King's Lynn. She and her boyfriend had left KL in September and have travelled through Asia and Australia and ended up in tiny Punakaiki at the same time as us! We spent a pleasant couple of hours with them swapping stories about our travels.
The Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki are a geological oddity well worth seeing. Limestone rock stacks are layered like a pancake stack - each layer being about two inches deep - these layers are absolutely horizontal. Apparently geologists haven't really worked out how they came to be like this.
From Punakaiki it was time to take the trans alpine train (from Greymouth), this is one of the main passenger trains in NZ and runs from Greymouth to Christchurch. King's Lynn station is huge by comparison with both stations, each of which has one platform. The infrastructure of NZ is creaky in places! The four hour journey was delightful, crossing the Southern Alps with magnificent views of mountains and braided river valleys. There was an outside viewing platform but we decided just to sit and enjoy the view, no photos only memories.
This morning, our last in NZ, we went for a walk through the nearby park to the Christchurch Botanical Garden and the Christchurch museum. A gentle way to pass the last morning. Even in the hotel we are staying at there are signs of earthquake damage, including supports on some walls. Walking round the area last night we saw walls leaning at odd angles, houses being rebuilt and a shopping mall which was still largely closed because it was structurally unsound. The centre of Christchurch (the Red Zone) is still a no-go areas and cordoned off. The hotel receptionist told us that the hotel we were to stay in is being demolished floor by floor as it has been condemned. The rebuilding work will take years. She showed us pictures of a new shopping mall near the red zone - built from brightly coloured shipping containers!
We are just about to leave for the airport for a flight to Auckland and then a connecting flight to the Cook Islands. Our accommodation in Rarotonga does not, I think, have internet access so the blog is taking a rest for a few days.
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