Our primary adventure today was to stroll Motukeikei Beach at low tide.

I had planned the entire trip around this low tide. We found the pullout easily next to Kararoa Creek. Another campervan pulled in behind us a few minutes later. I was so eager to do this that we arrived a bit early, so we kicked back and wrote in our journals and read for awhile.

It was a bit of a scramble over rocks to get the beach. We could see the seastacks to the south of us and started walking over the wet sand. This beach is underwater at mid and high tide. We passed below some baches which I imagine are rentals. There were some neat artifacts in the seawall.

Then we came upon a section of rocky tidepools. I didn’t see any of the 12-fingered starfish that I’ve seen in pictures, but perhaps my focus was on the seastacks ahead. The stacks looked different every few yards. Small streams spilled onto the beach and the cliffs were awesome!

There were a few car chassis nestled in the rocks that were rusting away. The further out we went, the narrower the beach became and we had to run around rocky outcroppings, in time with the waves withdrawing. There was a rogue wave that came just as I rounded a point and I got my feet soaked. Fred found a perch to scramble up to, but I was not so lucky.  I’m always trashing shoes on these trips and have learned to take several pairs!

Fred must have used an entire gig photographing everything. It was a great adventure and there probably was only one other couple we saw the entire time.

We drove south and stopped in Runanga to walk the track at Coal Creek Falls. No luck finding the cache there, but the falls were in full force from earlier rains. It was a nice track and waterfall, but nothing special.

We got our fuel tank topped off at Greymouth and stopped for lunch at Hokitika. I guess I had different expectations for Hokitika. When you describe a seaside town with lots of artisans, I think of Capitola or Mendicino (California). I had anticipated strolling the shops or even eating at a café when we arrived at Hokitika. But to me, the town lacked the charm I was expecting. It was a grey day and that probably added to the issue. We drove around a few blocks near the town clock, parked on a sidestreet, and made our own lunch and never exited the campervan. It just wasn’t what I expected and maybe I didn’t give the town a real chance.

It was a bit interesting to cross a one-way bridge, just south of Greymouth, that had train tracks on it. I’m glad there was no train coming.  The drive from that point south passes through lots of flat farmland and you head into the rainforest.  The coast isn’t close enough to be seen from the road except at a few river crossings.  Through the rainforest, it’s nice and green, but very closed in. After the spectacular coastal scenery we had seen between Westport and Greymouth, this was far less scenic.  Fred showed signs of being tired along the way, so I offered to drive and my driving woke him right up!

We arrived at Fox Glacier with plenty of daylight to spare. The clouds cleared and we had a beautiful evening. The campground wasn’t crowded at all and we could see the snow-capped mountains as we drank a glass of wine outside.

The Adventure Continues>>>