New Zealand Tour 2018: Road Trip: Day 8

Today, we stayed in Punakaiki for a day to enjoy the many walks. The first walk was the Truman Track. The start of the track went through lush rainforest, then emerged onto a path bordered by tall reeds, and then finally onto the beach.

On the beach, there was a really big water fall that rained down from the overhanging cliff edge, and Mum found a massive cave. I had fun skidding in the slippery gravel that all New Zealand beaches seem to be made of.

The Truman Track Beach

After finishing Truman Track, we went to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. Those are rocks that have been made by "stylobedding" and look like stacks of thick pancakes. They are also the site of blowholes, the waves surging through arches in the rock and spraying up towards the sky. There were three blowholes:

The "Chimney Pot" - The waves are forced through a thin, but tall shaft in the rock, so tall that when the waves showed at the top, they were only sprays of water vapour and a few small drops.
The "Surge Pool" - The waves come through a large arch and then smash into the rock face opposite.
The "I forgot the name" - The waves come through a wide arch and then smash into the close rock wall on the other side (far closer than in the "Surge Pool") and smash up to create a much larger spray. This is the blowhole that is shown on most photos.

The blowhole where I forgot its name, but without spray.

After watching each blowhole successively give its best, we moved on to the next walk: the Punakaiki River walk. This walk started with a swingbridge (approx. 75 metres), and then, with the rains aftermath still showing, right onto a big muddy puddle. From there we kept going on the track, until we reached a waterfall. Dad and I stayed there to take photos, while Mum and Niklas went back to the car, where Grandma and Grandpa were holding the midday nap. On the way to the car, we saw a Kerero, a wood pigeon. Back at the car, we also saw another Weka (remember, those Wanna-be-Kiwis?)