Punakaiki

Famous for its 'pancake' rock formations and blowholes. On the west coast of south island. Stayed at a backpacker's hostel right by the beach, giving us a fantastic sunset. 
Place has a communal kitchen. Found a tin of english heinz baked beans at a supermarket on the way. So had those for tea.

Lots of lovely hills to climb on the way to view the foresaid formations. Mike is beginning to suspect that these 'mere mounds' are preparation for things to come. More on that later.

The Kiwi's are polite and pleasant, both on an individual and collective level. They look after their environment with an almost religious zeal. However, there is a darker side to the Kiwi's psyche.....

They have a love/hate relationship with the cuddly possum, (actually they are ugly, and quite vicious). There are more possum's than people. Introduced in the 18 something or other, as a fur trading animal. They play havoc with the vegetation and bird life. On the plus side their tails are used for a soft yarn which is used in jumpers, socks, hats, scarf's, glove's, etc.

Now the possum is hunted, poisoned, and killed gleefully on the road's. Possum's are nocturnal, and love the big bright shiny lights coming down the road at dawn and dusk. (Possum thinks "oh what lovely bright things", just before it becomes part of the tarmac. The Kiwi thinks "this is why God gave us full beam", and generally treat them as road humps.

When travelling along the roads between settlements you are likely to see squashed possum every 20 metres or so in some parts. Possibly whole families squashed within a kilometre, and all tailless. That's right folks, jump out of your vehicle and harvest a tail.

Tomorrow off to the Fox Glacier. A lovely long and steep climb to the snout. Had Mike jumping gleefully.

Leave you with some photos.... View from our bedroom window, and yes that is a spiders Webb, the hostel, walking along the beach, pancake rocks, so called because of the layering, another view from our window, I wasn't kidding about the possum's.