Greymouth, South Island, New Zealand
Sunday, December 11, 2011
After our stay in Christchurch we headed for the 250 km trip to Greymouth on the West Coast. This trip took us through Arthur's Pass, a drive famed for excellent sights and it didn’t disappoint. At first sight we hit a wall of dense grey cloud and were apprehensive for the Pass, but on climbing over the first hills the cloud became trapped and we drove into pure blue skies. We stopped first at Castle Hill, an area with huge limestone outcrops in very interesting shapes! The boys were very brave and climbed many precarious parts leading to some amusing shots! Next we headed for the Pass itself (920 metres), only stopping for a picnic at Otira with spectacular views of the Viaduct and the waterfall over the road! It was here we were introduced to NZ’s most interesting bird (not the Kiwi), the Kea. To describe them as naughty is an understatement. Their past time is pulling pieces off your car and they are cheeky as!
On reaching Greymouth we stocked up with food and petrol ready for the journey to the Glaciers the next day. We also decorated the car complete with tinsel and a tree J.
- Liz
