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West Coast - Buller 23.-24. 12. 2019
Monday, 23 December 2019
Driving further north along West Coast past Greymouth.
Motukiekie Beach with VLC media cones warning visitors about unstable slopes destabilised by coastal erosion.
First nikau palms (Rhopalostylis sapida) start to grow here. They are the southernmost growing palms and the only ones endemic to New Zealand.
Nikau flowers growing just under the leaves.
Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki are one of the main attractions in this area.
Combination of coastal erosion and limestone dissolution created interesting rock formations.
The Surge Pool.
At Dolomite Point.
The oligocene limestone contains regular layers of mudstone, which is eroded faster than limestone creating a pancake-like rock formations.
A photo of two tourists.
There are also few blowholes around.
Decorated with a rainbow.
More pancakes.
Red-billed gull with a confused face expression.
White-fronted Terns are raising their chicks on these rocks.
Pancakes at pancake rocks. I liked the idea but not the price.
Another van from the camper compilation, caught between the two irritating ones.
Continuing further north ... at Irimahuwhero Lookout Point.
Too windy?
Southern rātā (Metrosideros umbellata) tree with its red flowers starts appearing in the forests.
Passing through a small coastal town Granity.
Arriving at Kahurangi National Park at the very north of the West Coast.
Somewhere deep in the forests, there is a path leading to two caves.
Although this area has been discovered by early lumberjacks, it is now covered with native forest.
Entrance to Crazy Paving Cave.
The cave ground is fenced off.
It is because of these patterns. The cave sediment dried out very slowly creating desiccation cracks.
The cave ends after few tens of metres.
Back to the exit.
Where Justyna noticed imprint of this shell in the oligocene limestone.
And Nelson cave spider (Spelungula cavernicola), which can only be found northwestern part of New Zealand's South Island.
How big the spider actually is shown by the lens cap with a diameter of 77 mm.
Small tunnel leading to the Box Canyon Cave.
The entrance.
Slightly more decent dimensions.
Ghosts entering.
It ends with this collapse.
Oparara River created several tunnels in limestone bedrock.
Rushing to the one of them before it gets dark.
Small arch followed by a bigger one ...
... Oparara Arch, which is the largest Oparara Basin Arch with 200 m length and 27 m height.
The entrance where the river exits.
Phytokarstic stalactites close to the entrance.
We stayed overnight in Paradise - Karamea. The population, however, decreases. The number has been corrected from 650 to 575.
Downtown of this northernmost town on the West Coast.
Why is there a Star of David on Anglican Church?
Leaving West Coast through Buller RIver Gorge.
GPS showed information board about some earthquakes so we stopped here. It turned out that they built a suspension bridge and charge you to go over it to the other side of the river. We definitely ended our West Coast adventure here without visiting their forced tourist attraction.
