Pancake Rocks and Arthur's Pass
Trip Start
Sep 25, 2008
1
41
47
Trip End
Feb 05, 2009
Hokitika,
South Island,
New Zealand
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Punakaiki is notable only for Pancake Rocks - a cluster of strange outcrops accessible from the main road by a short path through the bush. The rocks take their name from their layered structure but more impressive was the way they are undermined and attacked by the sea; occasional larger waves resulting in enough pressure to force jets of water upwards like giant foundtains to above the level of the cliff-tops (themselves a good 30 feet above the sea). Although we only saw relatively small spurts having arrived near low tide, the show was still worth a look.
Less successful was our venture along the nearby Punakaiki Cavern Track which we undertook, torch in hand, in search of the glowworms which apparently live there. All we managed though, was to stumble around for a while in the damp and dark, stooped to avoid the rocky roof and unable to tell which way to go.
The weather had brightened suddenly and conveniently for our viewing of Pancake Rocks and continued to brighten along the coastline as we passed through Barrytown (worth a picture of the sign I thought!) and on to Greymouth, where we refuelled and restocked before continuing towards Arthur's Pass. Having had lunch in an unappealing lay-by, we turned inland up SH73 and drove a good distance on relatively gentle inclines and quiet roads before reaching the very steep top section of the pass; our little van struggling valiantly up to a height of 912m, often in second gear. Once again, we were fortunatel with the weather - low cloud seeming to disperse as we neared the top and village to reveal glimpses of the dramatic alpine peaks above.
We called briefly in the visitor centre for (what turned out to be) some fairly useless advice on local walks, then reparked and set off up the side of the valley on a track to Bridal Veil Falls. The track rose fairly gently to a viewpoint looking up at the falls and then appeared to continue towards them. Aiming and expecting to reach the base, we continued, only to discover that the path led along the hillside and away from the falls; eventually depositing us higher up the main road.
Irritated then, we retraced our steps to climb the many thigh-burning flights of wooden stairs towards the Devil's Punchbowl (another, more dramatic waterfall). This path annoyed us further by climbing sharply and apparently pointlessly, only to drop and climb again, but eventually led us to a viewing platform near the base of the huge and very impressive falls.
With lots of recent rain and strong gusts of wind, the falls were particularly dramatic and frequently covered us in a fine mist of freezing water. Before leaving, we clambered under the platform for an even better view of the main fall and the smaller drops beneath it.
Once back at the van, we set off back towards the west coast again, this time the challenge being to hold the van back as it sought to career off down the mountain. Back at SH6, we turned south and began to look for somewhere to camp along the coast, but didn't have much luck until Ross - a small, sleepy, ex-gold mining town - where a side track led down to the beach.
By this point it was gone seven thirty and we were ready for a good meal after some strenuous walking. Unfortunately our plans were put on hold when, attempting to manouevre the van into a suitably scenic position side-on to beach views, we found ourselves with our wheels spinning and the van sinking gradually into the sand! We struggled in vain for a good half hour - a combination of digging, wedging driftwood, revving and pushing failing to dislodge our mired near-left wheel. Just as we were considering hiking back into town in search of a tow though, a saviour appeared in the shape of Leo - a wiry Australian and his half-German, half-English wife who pulled up in another campervan. With only minimal diggin and Frankie, Leo and wife pushing, we were free in under a minute - much to our relief!
To celebrate, we were kindly invited to share a beer and so enjoyed a friendly (if chilly) chat on the beautiful beach; learning that he was ex-Australian navy and now a wind turbine engineer, she was a newly qualified marine biologist and that both were keen hang-gliders and scuba-divers. Despite not being able to boast such impressive adventure credentials, both seemed very impressed with our round-the-world plan and even went so far as to describe us as inspiring (as well as complimenting our teamwork). Apart from the free beer, roadside assistance and pleasant chat then, the encounter was valuable in reminding us to savour our experiences - something that can be easy to forget as the regularity of travel and exploration lapses almost into routine. Feeling refreshed then (and chuffed with realising how well our 'teamwork' was going to date), we finally managed to cook dinner and settle in for a chilly but cosy night by the sea.
