Saturday, 08/02 from Punakaiki to Kaiteriteri

Today we say goodbye to the stormy west coast and drive north along the west coast. For a short moment, a friendly Weka is fed in the parking lot, then we continue along the beautiful coastal road heading north. In Westport, we turn inland and drive along the Buller River, New Zealand's largest and longest river. On the way to the north coast of the South Island to Kaiteriteri, we pass through the Motueka Valley and see green, lots of green. This is where all the hops for New Zealand's beers (taste really good!!) are grown. And then at Woodstock, we come across orchards with apples, peaches, etc. for the first time. And we just bought fruit at 4Square in Tapawera. But we still have to buy a bag of peaches from a roadside stand and take them with us!

Arriving in Kaiteriteri, we find our next quite big house up on the hill overlooking the sea and the mountains in the background. At Kimi Ora Eco Resort there's a swimming pool. So, we save ourselves the quite long walk to the beach (it's low tide anyway) and enjoy ourselves at the pool. Finally, we make ourselves a delicious salad with local oranges and are rewarded with the rising moon (almost full moon) during dinner. With this photo, we congratulate Maren on her birthday and promptly receive a photo of Maren and Andy skiing in return!

We don't want to swap right now:-)

Tomorrow we're heading to Abel Tasman National Park. The coastline of Abel Tasman National Park is distinctive. Granite and marble rock formations line the headlands hidden in dense forest. Fine sandy beaches between the forest and the waterline invite relaxation. Streams wind through mossy valleys and eventually flow into the sea.