Wednesday, June 28th - Rained out (Sort Of), but then a magical day

Generally, NZ weather forecasts are quite accurate (down to how many layers one should wear and of what type [e.g., short sleeved, long sleeved, windproof layer, etc.]).

So when we chased good weather to the West Coast so that we could have two clear, dry days we were disappointed to see that late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, the weather forecast changed (and we confirmed it with a meteorologist friend) to cloudy and rainy conditions on the hike, we were bummed.  A rainy front that was supposed to push through, stalled out.

So we took our turned-to-custard plan, made some calls, and worked out a fun filled, magical day...

First up, after a yummy brekkie at Maggie's Kitchen, meeting with Jo Halley of the Paparoa Wildlife Trust to learn about the Great Spotted Kiwi rearing and management program at their predator-proofed Kiwi Crèche. Essentially, Jo collects eggs in the wild in the area and sends them to Willowbank Preserve to hatch, and when they are about two months old the kiwis are transported to the créche where they fend for themselves until they are about a year old and then the are released into the Paparoa National Park.  This is done because kiwis chicks in the wild can not defend themselves against stoats, and thus, have a high mortality rate.  We got to follow Jo with her telemetry tracking to find and check on one of three chicks currently in the crèche.  We were in silent awe as Jo gently pulled Poutini from his burrow, and carefully transferred his tracking device from one leg (where it was getting a little tight and something she does each month) to the other, and weighed him and did a health check on him before returning him to his burrow.  Wow.

After an amazing experience with Jo and Poutini we made our way up the West Coast the Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks at the Paparoa National Park.  Like at Castle Hill the day before, we took our time again marveling at how limestone can be shaped by the environment, and got the see the powerful surf surge at high tide in the blow holes among the rocks.  We made our way back to the Gatorwaka and Piwakawaka vans just in time for the rain.

After the rain let up, we went for a walk along a seemingly prehistoric river - The Porarari.  We did not find any dinosaurs, but could not help looking and thinking about how, in this rainforest of Tree Ferns, we felt as if we had stepped back in time.

We, again, enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Tasman Sea, and then made our way to a Glow Worm cave.

After a yummy dinner back in Greymouth, we learned a little more about flax and how the Maori weave it.

Now, after all that, it is really time for bed!  Sweet Dreams All,  m&m