The Wild West Coast - Day 24 & 25

Action was on the agenda again on day 24! The day before, we had signed up for wild water rafting on the Buller River. The meeting point was at 10am, which we reached after an hour's drive along the river. Complete equipment was provided, we only needed to bring swimwear and dry clothes for later. We already had everything in our rental car, which is practical as a mobile storage :) When we were on the river in the boat (two boats in total, each with four people and a guide), the rapids were allowed to come!! One of them was from the third highest category 4 (category 6 would be practically impossible to overcome, even for professionals), the rest belonged to category 3.

It was a lot of fun :)) It was wet and exciting! We can only recommend the tour! However, you should still be careful, especially after changing seats in the boat! Because then it can happen that you have to hold on with your weaker hand when the command "hold on" is given... In the strongest rapid after a 180-degree flip, Jörg was almost thrown out of the boat, fortunately his right foot held him in the boat :-D That's why you should always secure your feet in the boat! Afterwards, we were allowed to jump into the water and let ourselves float once, that was a rapid ride! Happy and satisfied that no one got lost, we were treated to a hot drink, cookies, and a recommendation for a walk (Truman Walk) for the next day after the tour.

Since we were in the area anyway, we also visited the ghost town of Lyell (at the time of the gold rush, there used to be a town there, not anymore). There you could visit the old cemetery and pan for gold in the river, but we didn't find anything. In addition, the Old Ghost Road starts there, which we have now put on our "to do" list for our next vacation, but then on foot and without a bike (about 1000 meters of altitude have to be overcome on the first day).

In the late afternoon, we were still at the harbor in Westport, walked the walkway around the yacht harbor and strolled along the long sandy beach. That's how our short relaxing vacation ended on day 24 :))

Day 25. On the way to Greymouth, we made our first longer stop at the Truman Track. We walked through dense forest with many information signs about the trees along the way and after 15 minutes reached the bridge, which offered us a great view of the rough sea. It was high tide and the waves crashed impressively against the rocks! Further in the bay, you could also get a bit wet... :)

Then we drove to the main destination of our Intercity journey, the pancake rocks and blowholes in the rocks. The density of tourists suddenly increased (busloads!), but the view of the unique layered rock formations was truly breathtaking. Especially the crashing waves and the water spouting out of the blowholes were amazing! The "chimney" was fantastic and very funny and the "sudden noises" were great! The combination of water, wind, and rocks created a unique natural spectacle here! Of course, there were real pancakes in front of the entrance to the Pancake Rocks hiking trail. They were delicious :) Instead, you should avoid the paninis and rather enjoy them near the Panini Rocks ;))

Afterwards, we continued along the beautiful coastal road until we arrived in Greymouth in the early evening. It is a city strongly influenced by industry!