Off to the West Coast

Arriving in Kaikoura, we immediately went out to sea for a seal snorkeling trip. We took a boat along the coast to a seal colony. Then it was time to jump into the icy water and enjoy. We were extremely lucky, as there were a lot of animals in the water and they were very curious and friendly. At times, we were surrounded by 6 seals. Once we warmed up again, we drove to a campsite further south. We got a spot right by the sea, where we could enjoy a beautiful sunset.

The next day, we headed to Arthur's Pass. The pass road goes through a wide valley, and it was one of the most beautiful routes we've driven so far. Just before the pass, we briefly "checked in" at the campsite, meaning we put money in an envelope and reserved a nice spot with tables and chairs. Then we set off on a hike to a hut. The trail went through forests and meadows along the valley.

For the next day, we had planned a longer hike. From Arthur's Pass Village, we climbed about 1100 meters straight up to Avalanche Peak. When we reached the top, unfortunately the summit was in the clouds. However, we had several brief moments where there was a gap in the clouds, so we could still enjoy the view. Back in the valley, we made a short detour to a waterfall before driving down to the sea and relaxing our muscles with a swim.

On Thursday, we drove along the coast to Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks. These are rocks that have a special layered structure and look like stacked pancakes. After the visit, we did a circular hike along rivers and other rocks.
Originally, we planned to drive another 3 hours to Franz Josef Glacier that day. However, since the weather forecast for Friday was very bad, we decided to spend another night in Greymouth. With the "extra" time, we went on a brewery tour followed by a tasting session.

When we woke up the next morning, we thought the weather was quite okay. It was a bit cloudy, but no rain. Two hours later, things looked quite different. The 200 meters from our parking lot to a kiwi zoo were enough for my pants to be completely wet. At the Kiwi Center, we witnessed a feeding session for the native eels. Then the kiwis were awakened and fed. When we ventured back outside, the rain was even heavier than before. I ran across the street to a supermarket, while Silvan went to get the car and meet me in the store.
When Silvan arrived at the van, he discovered that water was dripping into our car through one of the roof windows. He fought against the water intrusion with pans and paper towels, while I gradually wondered if he couldn't find me in the store. After a while, I saw his "call for help" on my phone and completed my leisurely shopping trip. Then we went to a repair shop to fix the window and continued towards Franz Josef Glacier. After a while, it finally stopped raining, so we could sit in the hot tub in the afternoon sunshine.