October 28 - Along the West Coast to Greymouth

This morning, shortly before 9 am, we left Westport. Just now, it is 2:45 pm local time, we have taken a spot at the TOP 10 Holiday Park Greymouth. You will see from the photos the spectacular landscape we have driven through. It is slowly becoming difficult to not appreciate the slightly less beautiful parts as usual. Because they are still more impressive than much of what we know.

The first stop was Cape Foulwind. Steep cliffs, very powerful waves, untamed nature. A few kilometers further, we were able to watch some seals. They will be difficult to recognize in the photos, as the colors of the rocks and their skin hardly differ. A few more kilometers away, there is a small circular path around the so-called Pancake Rocks. The photos illustrate the name. Between the rocks, there are rock holes that are constantly exposed to the force of water. Sometimes a wave with tremendous force blows the seawater out of such a rock hole. It looks and sounds like a fire-breathing monster inside the cave.

In the photos, it may seem like the weather is dull. It is already gray, but warm.

These are enough impressions for today. Tomorrow, we will continue heading south. The next destination is Hokitika, with a gorge and a treetop walkway. We will decide whether to stay there for more than one night. If you are not too crazy about camping, it is convenient to travel around New Zealand by car. The holiday parks always have fixed cabins or cottages or villas (each park names them differently). There, you can enjoy what we have already experienced and described in several places in this blog, with photos to illustrate. There are also motels that can compete with the holiday parks in terms of price, even though the motels are often located directly on busy roads. The advantage of this type of travel is that you can take smaller trips faster and easier. This is something you rarely do with a camper that is at least 7.10 meters long.