Te Waikoropupu Springs

The Te Waikoropupu Springs are not far away from Tata Beach where we are staying and we decided to visit this site to see the springs.  This site has spiritual significannce to the Maori, and is scientifically important.  The water which comes out of the springs is remarkably pure, some of the purest water in the world.  It is also very clear and the output of the spring is enormous and is affected by tides, although it is located 50 meters above sea level!  It was remarkable to see, although we only stopped there shortly.

Pupu Hydro Service

We were greeted by sheets of rain in the morning and were very grateful to be inside, warm and dry!  We were invited to spend some time with our wonderful hosts, Debby and Neville, who gave us some great advice about our remianing time in New Zealand.  They also gave us wonderful cups of coffee made in their full-blown espresso machine.  It made the rain slip from our minds as we planned our future adventures. 

In the late afternoon, despite the rain we decided to go out and explore the local area.  We started off at a place called The Grove...a wonderful area with rocky formations.  Upon these rocks there are large trees, whose roots cling to the living stone and tumble to the mossy surface below.  It is very eerie and puts one in mind of fantasy books...and films...like "The Lord of the Rings".  I was anticipaitng elves and trolls at every turn.

We followed this by a trek to the Pupu Hydro Service...which is a very interesting hydro-electiric generation operation taking advantage of a "water race" which had been built in the early 1900s to divert water for gold mining.  The resuting waterway follows the curve of the mountain and a walk way has been built beside it.   It started with a climb up to the water race way which was fed from a waterfall, then a walk along it.  We were up very high as we started to follow the waterway, and the boardwalk seemed so narrow, but as we continued along the boardwalk got ever narrower until we were walking on a surface about nine inches wide with the water race to one side and the mountain dropping away to the other. 

One very funny thing was that we have often despaired at the lack of picnic tables...especially at places where we expect to see them, like camp grounds.  Imagine our surprise when, after climbing up a steep hill and walking along an impossibly narrow boardwalk, we came across a picnic table...in the place we least expected it!  We both laughed out loud!!

The rain was pouring down the entire time we were there, and by the time we were finished we were soaked through to the skin.

On our way to Golden Bay

Our night was a difficult one as the rain predictions finally came home to roost, with a vengance.  The wind started to howl in the night and the rain started to fall in torrents.  It was remarkably windy all night and when the sun came up the rain was still falling.  It was hard to get up and dodge the rain drops to get to the bathroom!!  We pulled together and got the tent down in record time.  The tent was stuffed into the car, soaking wet as were we too.  We decided that we would take advantage of an available B and B and escape the forecast continuing bad weather.  No sooner had we left Motueka but the sun came out and the temperature started to soar.  En route to the B and B we visited the Riwaka River source, which comes from the surrounding mountain into a crystal clear pool in a mossy grotto.  We also visitied caves which were filled with millions of stalagtites!  When we left the caves we were told that we were on the location of the filiming of a notable scene from the Hobbit. 

We made it to our desitnation, Tata Beach on Golden Bay and very close to the northern section of the Abel Tasman National Park.

Motueka

We spent the day visiting the town and in our travels we visited the local cinema.  We were surprised to find most amazing Lord Of The Rings decorations...including a prop that was used in the actual filming.  The proprietor told us that it is rare to see props on display, but that he had it in his cinema because one of the important behind-the-scenes workers lives in the area.

Abel Tasman

Our next destination beckoned... The Abel Tasman National Park. Our original intent had been to follow the "great walk" which is five days long and follows the coast.  We had to change these plans though as we both found that it was unrealistic to do this type of walking, with our backpacks and five days of food...in the heat and sun...so we decided to take a different approach.  We found a campground close to the park and we arranged for one day of kayaking.  It was truly lovely, even if a bit overcast.
We took a water taxi to Torrent Bay where we got outfitted for our kayaks and then we set off to explore with a guide and a small group of fellow travellers. 

We visited small islands, explored the coast, saw sea lions and cormorants and even caught sight of a huge sting ray! 

After the kayaking was over we walked back along a huge tidal flat that had drained while we were away and relaxed on the beach until the eater taxi returned. 

It was a great day!

Westport

I have been getting a bit travel weary.  This is attributable to the need to strike and pitch camp almost nightly.  This is a big job and I joke when we arrive in a new place that we have to get cracking and build our home for the night! 

As I am feeling this way, we decided to take a bit more time in Westport just to recharge our batteries a bit.  We explored the area, went for a short walk and saw some beautiful scenery, saw some sea lions (at a great distance) and another spectacular sunset.

En route to Westport

The tent worked!  We were dry and comfortable despite the deluge we has all night long!  The morning was grey and the forecast unfavorable so we decided to press on and to proceed north toward Westport.  We made our way slowly along the coast and chose the scenic route. 

One of the things we have discovered is that we cannot possible go as far as we expect in a day...the roads are so windy that we slow down often and we end up going 150 kms in about three hours!  This includes stops for viewing the scenery and other sites along the way.

The other thing I have learned is about the scourge of the sandfly!  This beastly insect has a barely discernable bite at the time of biting, but a terrible itching and inflation within hours following.  Unusually...these have attacked Paul with a vengeance, but have left me unscathed.  This is totally reversed from what happens at home as I am usually the one ducking behind the safety of the screened in porch while Paul  wonders at my reaction!  In any case....Paul has been suffering from an attack which occurred some four days ago and has now resorted to antihistamines as his ankles are starting to swell and he can't sleep for the itch.

After a cloudy start to the day...and despite the forecast...the sun came out and we had one of the hottest days so far.  Such has been our good fortune so far!

Our first stop was at a beach for lunch.  The wind was blowing so we pulled out our kites and took an hour to fly them in the dazzlingly hot and sunny day.

We continued down the coast road to the site of the pancake rocks, Punakaiki.  It is an area of dramatic and unusual rock formations.  The explanation of their origin is a bit of a geological mystery and they are spectacular.

We made it to Westport and found a campground on the beach, just in time for the sunset!