From Abel Tasman National Park to Pancake Rocks (14.02. - 17.02.2017)

Since we had decided to see as much of the South Island as possible, we naturally wanted to continue our journey as quickly as possible. However, our safety was more important to us, so on 14.02. we had our tires pumped up. Additionally, we went shopping, visited Richmond, and in the evening, we watched a fireworks display on Ruby Bay that other campers had set up on the beach.

On 15.02., it was time to move on, so we left early in the morning to do some hiking in Abel Tasman National Park.

Our first stop was Harwoods Hole, where we had to climb over large rocks after a walk through a mossy forest in order to view a huge gorge surrounded by cliffs and trees, so deep that we couldn't see the bottom from where we were standing. We took some photos and watched in awe as three climbers made their way down into the depths.

Then we continued on to the Rawhiti Caves, a 30 million-year-old limestone cave that required a strenuous climb but offered an impressive setting. Once inside the cave, we enjoyed the coolness of the shade and were impressed by the imposing stalactite formations hanging down like icicles.

We decided to sleep at a campground on Golden Bay, so we drove up the very winding and eventually gravelly, but incredibly beautiful, Abel Tasman Drive to the selected campground. Fortunately, we were allowed to stay there, even though the place was already overcrowded. In the evening, we sat by the sea and marveled at the truly golden sand in this bay.

The next day, we were woken up by the ranger, who unfriendly told us that we should have already left. So we packed up and set off, as today we wanted to see Farewell Spit, the northern tip of the South Island.

On the way there, however, we initially stopped at the Pupu Springs, which are sacred springs to the Maori and provide impressive photos with the water plants and reflections on the water.

Then we continued to our main destination for the day: Wharariki Beach. The way there was really long and gravelly, but this beach managed to be called my first highlight on the South Island. The weather was sunny, but it was windy on the beach and we were overwhelmed by the untouched nature, the roaring sea, and the rugged rocks against which the waves crashed loudly. Since this beach is not one of the main tourist attractions, we were relatively undisturbed. Of course, we immediately took advantage of that and shouted loudly into the wind. We also had plenty of time to take numerous photos until it got too cold and we walked back to the parking lot. There, we sat in a small cafe and had lunch.

Because there were no campsites up there that fit our budget, and we didn't want to go back to the campground with the unfriendly ranger, we drove back to Ruby Bay, where in the evening, we lay on the hood of the car and looked for shooting stars (which is not particularly difficult with a starry sky like in New Zealand). We were also approached by a drunk New Zealand teenager who tried to tell us something about the history of New Zealand. I don't know how much of it was true, but he definitely managed to make us laugh a lot.

The next day, we drove along the west coast for a long time (with a stop at the Maruia Falls) to the Pancake Rocks (Jana really drove a lot in these days), took a walk there, and marveled at the unusual rock formations. Then we ate in a cafe and wrote postcards before continuing on to a campground in Greymouth. Finally, when we arrived there (it was pouring with rain and we couldn't find it because it was hidden behind a gas station), we made couscous to eat and then spent the evening playing hangman in the car.

Jasmin