Next Stop - Barrytown

Goodbye Cape Foulwind, its time to move on.  A quick drive into Westport for fresh water and to use the dump station, and we were soon heading south along SH6.  The road was hilly and winding, and took us through beautiful native bush.  We spotted plenty of rimu trees, and nikau palms galore.  The nikau palm is the southernmost member of the palm family and New Zealand's only native palm species.  White flowering manuka trees were everywhere.  No wonder we saw several honey businesses dotted along the road.  We drove past Charleston, where we remember doing a  bush railway trip alongside the Nile River back in 2012 when we traveled the South Island with three other vans.

Nikau Palms growing on the hillside

There was plenty of notice of a couple of photo stops approaching, and we were hoping there would be enough room for us to pull in safely with our caravan.  No space at the first stop, it was full of cars, but we fitted in nicely at Coghlans Lookout.  The first thing we saw was a pair of cheeky weka running around.  Sadly, the tourists often feed them, which is not good for their health at all.

A weka

View from the lookout

Barrytown is our stop, at Rata Hill POP.  There is a large grassed area to park on, a wonderful sea view, at a cost of $10 per night.  This will do us fine for the next two nights.

All nice and comfy at Rata Hill

Originally known as Seventeen Mile Beach, Barrytown is yet another old mining settlement.  Gold was found in the sands along the coastal flats in 1866.  But when larger deposits were discovered in the mountains, miners flocked to the area.  The Croesus Track was cut to provide access from Barrytown across the Paparoa Range to the diggings in Grey Valley, and trampers can still walk this old trail.

Three vans  by the end of the day, all parked to enjoy the beautiful sea views. 

We joined the couple next door after dinner, chatting away as we waited and watched the sun go down across the Tasman Sea.

The sun going down at Barrytown

The next morning we back tracked 16km (leaving our caravan behind) to arrive at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.  The car park was full to bursting and luckily we spotted a car pulling out so we went, as quick as a flash.  There were plenty of camper vans in the car park, but no way we could have fitted in with our van attached.

The pancake rock formations were created by the wind and rain eating into the softer layers of rock between harder layers of stratified limestone.  The sedimentary rock was formed on the sea bed millions of years ago, before being uplifted and eroded into the pancake rock pattern that is marveled over today.  This attraction is looked after by the Department of Conservation and entry is free.  The start of the boardwalk is an attractive walk through nikau palms, and then glimpses of the pancake rocks appear.

Walkway framed by nikau palms

We both took our sticks for this walk for safety in the crowds, what a pair of old crocks we are.  And there certainly were crowds of people everywhere, all jostling for the closest positions at the photo stops.  One little boy mentioned that Robin only had one stick (crutch) as he passed by in his pushchair.  That’s because his Poppa has two crutches at home, his Mum told us.  The pancake rocks were just as spectacular as we remembered.  There were information boards dotted along the paths.   Tourists were out in force, we heard all sorts of languages spoken around us.

I took a photo of three young tourists, and then one of them kindly returned the favour.

Enjoying the sights

Just a couple more

After our walk around this lovely place, it was time for lunch.  There were two cafes to choose from, and we decided to try the one which advertised Pancake Stacks – seemed most appropriate to us.    The pancakes were huge, we couldn't quite finish them.  We chose a table out in the awning and I mentioned to the young man clearing the tables how much cooler it was out there.  Poor thing, he replied that he didn't notice, he was too busy working!

Lunch at Punakaiki

On the way back to camp we took a short detour down to the Barrytown beach.  The clouds were rolling down the hills and rain was on the way.  There was a sign on the beach stating that penguins, seals, and birds rest and feed on the beach, and to keep at least 20m away – sensible advice indeed.

Down by the beach

There was something else happening down by the beach.  Our POP hostess Jennifer had told us she was busy helping out at the local gun club competition.  And there they were, competitors lined up taking part in clay pigeon shooting. The sounds of ricocheted off the mountains behind us, and you would swear there are hunters shooting up there.

Shooting competition down by the beach

Robin looked back to the hill, and spotted our van, away in the distance.  Looks like we are camping on our own today.

Away in the distance, up on the hill at Rata View