On the Tuesday morning we packed the car before leaving at 10 O'Clock. We drove to Athurs pass before stopping at the cafe for lunch. Then we drove on to the Otira valley and put on our wet weather gear before heading up to the Otira Valley Bridge. The walk up the valley was amazing with beautiful views. We had to cross a few streams that were going across the track caused by the torencheal rain. From there you could see the Golding Glacier. We were not able to continue because there was snow covering the track. We turned around and walked back to the car to continue our journey. Later that afternoon we stopped in Greymouth to get some groceries. On our way to Punakaiki we stopped at the Strongman Mine Memorial.
Finally we arrived and checked in at the campsite office. We had cabin 3.
We unpacked our gear and went over to the kitchen to make dinner.
On the second day we got up to rain, rain and more rain. We decided to go and walk the Porirua river loop. We walked up the side of the flooded river. The walk had great views of the sheer cliffs covered in beautiful greenery. We got to a cross section where we saw a helicopter delivering supplies to the track builder who was building a new MTB track that would connect into the inland pack track. We talked to the engineer who was building the track then continued on our way. We got to a gravel road and continued to a swing bridge and crossed to carry on along the gravel road eventually reaching the road leading into Punakaiki. We stopped at the cafe for a hot chocolate. When the rain had stopped we walked back to the campsite and put out wet gear on the drying room. We started playing pictionary.
At around 5:00 that night we went to the Punakaiki Tavern to get a cold drink. After that we went back to the campsite and started cooking dinner.
We then walked up to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes and had a look at them. On our way back we stopped at the Punakaiki Cavern and looked around, there we a small number of fireflies. There was also a stream running from a crevice in the rock.
In the Morning we got up to more rain.
We decided to go and try the Bullock Creek road but sadly it was flooded. We drove on to the Fox River and walked up to where the track was closed from. On the way up we saw some DOC workers who were fixing the track.
On the way back home we went through the Buller Gorge. The river was in flood.
We stopped for lunch at the Reefton Bakery for lunch. On the way through the Lewis Pass we stopped in Maruia Springs to go in the hot pools. There was a black algae in the pool which was created when the hydrothermal water mixed with the cold river water. There was a cold plunge pool that was absolutely freezing. We went for a leg massage. We got home at 6:00pm
