Storm sandwich

The route to the west coast was via the Haast Pass, a windy mountain road in parts with fantastic waterfalls (with great names such as Fantail Falls, after the bird) after the recent rainfall. The most enduring memory though was the miles of natural vegetation on both sides of the roads. Not a pine tree in sight, a rare occasion on South Island for the traveller nowdays.

Arriving in Haast, our final destination for the night had to change after the lnformation Centre advised us that Jackson Bay had been severely damaged in the storm and parts of the road could be unpassable 'but if we wanted to take the risk...'. As they say discretion is... especially when you have been told by the hire company that the vehicle insurance does not cover for damage on either the top or the underside of the Van. The excess for any damage is NZ$35,000. There was no decision to be made, and we drove on, eventually stopping beside a lake in a DOC site which filled up with both sandflies and other campers as the evening and the rain settled

in.

Throughout our time on the West Coast we had to keep an eye on the weather and daily had to change our plans. We had thought we would visit a white heron sanctuary, but when we found out that the breeding season had ended and the number of trips had reduced to one a day and when we realised that it would be raining throughout the trip our interest waned. Research beforehand is the answer, if we had time. (we latter saw a white heron in an estuary during a lunch stop, so we didn't regret our decision).

As silly as that must sound, time has been a scarce resource on this trip. We said before we came away that we were not going on holiday but just living our daily lives in another country. And that has turned out to be the case. Numerous things have arisen during our time away that needed our attention, as we anticipated, and the thing that has lost out the most is additional research, However, I am sure that the spontaneity has added to our enjoyment.

Unfortunately rain clouds hampered our journey north and meant that the visibility at Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph Glacier was so poor that we just drove past. We did stop at Ross, an old gold mining town, and dodged the rain as we looked at the museum and jail. Too wet for panning so no fortune made that day. Our stop that night was at Hokatiki, a site close to a beach where we read you could find Jade. So dutifully we had a walk and picked up lots of green looking stones. We soon discovered that we hadn't a clue what Jade looked like in its uncut, unpolished form. And to be honest even with tips from locals, (such as the stone is translucent ???) we still were clueless. However the green stone has been added to our collection, in hope!

Our search had distracted us long enough for us to not to notice an over eager wave which engulfed us up to our thighs. So Bobby's trainers got a wash, sooner than she planned. My sandals are reaching the end of their lives and have been through worse (we're not going to talk about that). Problem was that the trainers took three days to dry, so 1/3 of Bobby's footwear was out of action for that time, another trial for the intrepid travelers.

Our last chance to see the high ground around here was a trip to Arthur's Pass. However it was a windy grey day that again obscured the views but, luckily, not the windey road. Arthur's Pass claim to fame, other than a great hiking base, is that it is a stop on the TransAlpine Express. Can't see why as there is nothing in the town other than the station. We had looked at taking this train trip as it so highly written up, but to be honest the price being asked (over £500) was ridiculous.

As the wind picked up Bobby decided to skip a walk up to the Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall, especially as she now had only flip flops to wear. This was a good call as there were over 250 steps to it, and I could show Bobby my pictures, which I did. Next stop was going to be Lake Brunner but the Information Centre confirmed the weather

bulletins we had heard, that a storm front was approaching and you needed to take shelter. So we headed to Greymouth to parkup for a few days while the storm, that was tardy, passed.

To be honest there isn't much to say about this town, other than it was a lay over, wouldn't stop here otherwise. However just up the road is the start of a coastal road that is voted one of the top 10 in the world. So while we were waiting for the storm to arrive we took this road as far as the Pukaiki Rocks (Pancake Rocks). These are a fascinating geological oddity that are interesting with layer upon layer of rock in strange shapes such as towers. The place is riddled with blowholes which make it an interesting, if wet, sight in rough seas. However it was literally the calm before the storm when we were there. So we headed back to Greymouth where we spent the night as the storm hit.

After a restless night and a review of the NZ MetService app we decided that we had a clear window to head north again. In hindsight we may have reconsidered that decision but... The drive was on the same scenic highway as the day before, but what a difference.

We encountered the storm that had hit us the night before, as it changed direction. This meant that we saw rivers that had burst their banks, fierce waterfalls, some of which were cascading on the road. The torrential rain we drove thru added to these problems, as well as the vegetation landslide that the road crew were clearing as we drove thru. In some places the road was being flooded as the water flowed down from the hills. A raw insight into the true possibility of nature, and to be honest a little scary. Especially when you heard afterwards about some of the damage that occurred to local communities.

The blowholes at the Pancake Rocks would have been a wonder, but it was stairrods as we drove past. Not a time to get out the van.

We were so glad when we finally got ahead of the storm and the sun

shone. Like a lot of other vehicles we pulled over at the first cafe we encountered for a break, before forging on to Cape Foulwind to view the seal colony. This is on a small rocky promitary that can be seen from a viewing platform above. Our timing couldn't be much better with lots of mums and pups feeding and resting. A sight that needs to be savoured, unlike most of the visitors who pointed, squealed, took selfie's and then left. So glad we are not in that much of a rush.

After a nights stop at Westport we drove to Denniston, a mining community that Bobby had been reading a novel about. It was situated on a fairly inaccessible plateau, up along a windey road, that would be very bleak in the winter. Whilst the mining has ceased the information boards and pictures located around the place give you a feel of the hard life the miners and their families led.

Our next destination was planned to be Abel Tasmin however we were aware that the remnants of cyclone Gita were due to arrive in NZ in a few days time, so we couldn't do as much as we had intended, as we would need another safe haven to lay up in. Anyway in the meantime we drove to Motueka and stayed on a pitch on a plateau, in a site by the sea. This was a lucky find, as you never know what you are going to get. But to go to sleep with the sound of the sea and to wake to the most amazing sunrise. Bliss.

We went Kayaking next morning to Apple Rock. So glad to be back on the water on a calm and sunny day. What an enjoyable trip. However we knew that we needed to be back in safety by the evening, as all the radio stations were carrying broadcasts telling us so. Nelson was our chosen haven.

As with most weather fronts, Gita took a day longer to arrive. When it did, whilst it had weakened from the force that hit Tonga, it still caused significant damage in NZ, particularly in Abel Tasman, where we had been. We sat out a very wet and windy day, but in safety in the van. From what we heard a lot of poor souls had harder times.

Finally the rain ceased and we ventured out to see the sights in Nelson. The city is located on the side of Tasman Bay, and there are some picturesque coastal roads. After a tour of these we headed, into the city itself, which was to be expected. Ending at the Cod and Lobster for lunch, which we visited before and were not disappointed this time.

We now have two weeks left of our trip and sadly are starting to look ahead to our return. There is also a feeling of deja-vu as we are heading toward Blenheim and the storm has caused SH1 to be closed so we have to take the long inland route again.

However, first we had to visit Havelock, the 'mussel capital of the world'. Whilst we did not not manage to go on a trip to the mussel farms, lots of damage the day after, we did find a lovely marina restaurants where, in the afternoon sunshine I finally had a bowl of green lipped mussels. Well worth the wait. Larger than their northern cousin's but just as tasty.

Next it was back towards Blenheim where we witnessed the damage the storm did to the vines. Hopefully there will be a period where the ground dries so that the damage is kept to a minimum.

On the next page there are a number of photo's that did not make the cut, but we like;
• Forest stage at the Tuki Festival
• Bicycle repair station in Napier
• Anthony Gormley statue in Christchurch
• Bus stop in the Caitlin's
• Wanaka Lake shoreline
• Bobby in the Cathedral Caves