Motueka

Wow! Wow!  The only word to describe the fantastic views today along the Abel Tasman coast.  Clear blue sea, blue skies, deserted beaches, forests down to the sea and mountains in the distance.  We took a scenic cruise along the coast as we felt we needed a more relaxing day and were rewarded with fantastic weather, more seals and seabirds and fantastic scenery.  Tomorrow we kayak and walk along the same coast.  Will this be our favourite part of New Zealand?

Kaiteriteri Beach where we started our trip

Split Apple Rock

Seal pups playing off the rocks

While Mum relaxes in the sun

Awaroa

Short stop at Totaranui

Little Kaiteriteri Beach

 

Murchison to Motueka

Couldn't resist another whitewater rafting trip today.  This was completely different to the one we did in the North Island.  No steep sided gorges but lots of lovely calm bits with some exciting bits in between.  David took his camera this time but unfortunately wasn't able to photograph the rough bits.

Start of the trip

Approaching some white water

We had to walk round this one - it was too rough

Sara about to jump from the low jump - David did the middle one

After our rafting trip we drove to Motueka where we are staying for three nights to explore the Abel Tasman.  Yet again we saw some spectacular scenery on our drive.

A quick stop after crossing this bridge

Thought this rock looked like one of the seals!

Took this picture waiting in a traffic queue at some roadworks

Hope Lookout

Found this fascinating mural when we stopped for a geocache

Westport to Murchison

Started our day with a visit to Cape Foulwind to look at the lighthouse and then drove round to Tauranga Bay to see the Kekono Seal Colony.  We could have spent the whole day watching the seals on the rocks and playing in the waves. 

Cape Foulwind Lighthouse

Rocks off Cape Foulwind

        Seals at Tauranga







Our drive to Murchison was a mixture of sunshine and showers but some great views as we drove alongside the Buller River.

The Buller River - note the road running round
the rockface with a sheer drop to the river which Sara had to drive round!

Specially for Stephen - the start of the half marathon - never did see the start of the marathon which is run on the same day

Public Toilets Murchison

Memorial to those lost in the 1929 earthquake which destroyed Murchison

Gold Panning again - this time David found some flakes of gold

Double Rainbow over Murchison

Hokatika to Westport

Started our day with a walk round the town of Hokatika and then made our way to Hokatika Gorge.  Lunch in the sunshine at the Kowhitirangi Incident Memorial and then the heavens opened.   The Memorial is for people killed in a massacre by an individual who went on the rampage in the town in 1941.   Stopped in Greymouth to pick up a replacement battery charger then didn't stop until we got to Westport as the rain continued to pour down.  When it rains on the west coast of NZ it really rains. 

The Clock and Memorial Hokatika

The museum Hokatika

                   Hokitika Gorge

Kowhitirangi Incident Memorial

     

Reefton to Hokatika

"Rain before seven, fine by eleven" - I have always believed this saying and yet again it proved to be true.  We started the day in pouring rain and spent a very wet half an hour gold panning at Slab Hut Creek but by the time we had driven on to Nelson Creek and hour later for a spot more gold panning the sun was out.  No luck with the gold panning but we had a spectacular drive all the way to Hokatika.  We stopped for lunch in the Station Cafe at Moana on the edge of Brunner Lake before taking the scenic route round the lake along a gravel road to Hokatika.

Gold panning in the rain

And in the sun

Moana Station - we did see a train pass through

Brunner Lake from Moana

Brunner Lake Yacht Club Boat Park

Brunner Lake from the opposite side

Hokitika Beach

Greymouth to Reefton

Lovely drive up to Reefton today stopping at the Brunner Mine Industrial Site where there was a major mining disaster in 1896 killing all 65 miners.  Spent a good hour wandering around the area.  Stopped in Blackball for a coffee in the Blackball Hilton - which was absolutely nothing like you would imagine a Hilton to be - fascinating photographs and newspaper cuttings on the walls and a number of interesting relics scattered around.
Reefton itself is a gold mining town and we a had a nice walk along the river and met a very friendly local lady with a young Israeli backpacker who walked with us for a while.  A strange pairing but interesting to chat to.  Reefton was also the first town to get electricity in New Zealand.

Memoral to the men lost in the Brunner Mine Disaster

The Grey River from the Brunner Mine Site

Brunner Mine Site

Paddling in the River at Reefton

Bearded Miners' Hut Reefton

One of Reefton's historic buildings (not the Four Square!)

Greymouth

After our glacier walking we had a quiet day in Greymouth with a walk round the town in the morning and an afternoon on the beach.  The town is probably best known nowadays for the mine disaster last November which received world wide publicity and Prince William is visiting the town later this week after a visit to Christchurch so is in the national news again..

                             Greymouth

Afternoon on the beach

Sunset from Greymouth Beach