Four Seasons in One Day at Punakaiki

Tuesday 27 October

Fearing another gusty day brewing up, we got on the road with great alacrity - pausing only for essentials like fresh milk, emptying waste water, filling up with fresh water and a quick visit to the Sallies op shop. I bought a pair of white capri pants and had a lovely smooch with this underbite baby boy who insisted on multiple belly rubs!

Shortly after 10am we were trekking southwards through the most random weather - rain, hail, sunshine and wild gusts of wind.

We paused just after Fox River to share the moment with Susanne who used to holiday there. Then on through Punakaiki to a cute wee freedom camp at McMillan Road, where we parked up snug by the hedge, overseen by another bossy weka! Minutes after we were all set up & putting the kettle on, the wildest hailstorm hit - couldn’t hear ourselves think!

After lunch we headed back to Punakaiki to visit the pancake rocks and the blowholes. It was high tide & blowing a hooley so the crashing of the waves on the pancake stacks and into the blowholes was stunning!

We had the walkway all to ourselves to start off with, but then a coachful of Asian tourists turned up - I love the guy who photobombed my selfie as his greeny-grey puffa blended in so beautifully with the rocks!

Back to Banjo, I took a walk on our beach but was blown to smithereens, then later we set off to find the Paparoa Loop track for a walk in the rainforest - which suddenly turned into a hail forest!

Dinner at Banjo and a half hearted sunset over the Tasman before turning in for a chilly night.