Paparoa National Park

Spent the day at Paparoa National Park, based at Punakaiki. Hiking on the trails, I saw the Pancake Rocks there, as well as venturing down the Truman Track, and taking a short jaunt into the Pororari Valley.

The blowholes at the Pancake Rocks weren't blowing today, even though I was there at high tide. The Tasman Sea was pretty placid today (despite the approaching storm) and so the two conditions of operation weren't met (high tide AND big waves).

I was down on the scenic, cliff-surrounded beach at the end of the Truman Track just after high tide, and I worried that all it would take would be one big wave and I'd be hustled off to the Kingdom of the Undertoad.

Wonderful bird life everywhere (saw white-fronted terns on the coastal rocks). There were New Zealand Pigeons (bigger than standard pigeons) clumsily flopping through the thick foliage. Ducks were present too.

Thick, thick forest included red & black pines, Nikau palms, cabbage trees, a variety of ferns, and other exotica. Supplejack vines gave a special Tarzan feel to the place.

In the Pororari Valley, I heard a sound that was much like a tea kettle bubbling, or perhaps a toilet tank filling, just uphill of the trail. A passing elderly German couple identified the birds who were responsible for the noise. It turned out to be two adult, and one baby, weka. The weka were rummaging around through the leaf litter as if they had lost a set of car keys. Cute!

High cirrostratus (from the warm front of the approaching storm) and maritime humidity meant a perfect day weatherwise for the hiker. This place ain't Arizona in the summer! It was like wandering through a surreal garden of utmost comfort. Just a few sand flies - no other pests. And no dangerous animals or plants.

With the temperate climate and the Dr.-Suess-style of jungle filled with fun birds, it's easy to see how people conceive of New Zealand as a version of Paradise!

Left: A weka.