Day 12 Motueka to Greymouth 27th Feb 2011

The day started with brilliant sunshine as we emptied the tanks, topped up with fresh water and departed the Motueka camp site just after 08.15, heading for Richmond.    From Richmond we headed West towards Murchison, stopping off at various places for Kodak moments and morning tea at Longford. We were following the Buller River pretty much all the way from Kawatiri, just North of Lake Rotoroa.  Throughout the journey we were going up into the mountains, then back down into the valleys, twisting and turning following the meandering river.  The scenery was very reminiscent of the journey through from Loch Lomond to Oban, except for the mountains here are predominantly native bush and lots of ferns as opposed to pine trees.  It would seem that pine trees are relatively new in NZ and many people are planting them for timber as it is highly profitable.  Some younger farmers are planting Pines that will mature in 30 years time and are treating it as their pension fund.

Just as we passed through Murchison, we saw a sign that said New Zealand’s longest swing bridge.  Thinking that it would be a Kodak moment we were surprised to see that a swing bridge is like one of the walkways on the TV “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here”.  For just $5NZ each we could risk life and limb and walk across the bridge, so we did.  The view was terrific and on the way back, one of the jet boats plying the river shot underneath us, giving a preview of what we are looking to do on the Shotover River later next week. 

Following highway 6 we continued towards the West coast, passing to the South of Westport and then onto the coast road, stopping at Woodpecker Bay for more Kodak moments.  The road sticks to the beach and at Punakaikki, there is the most amazing rock formation called Pancake Rocks.  The limestone rocks have been eroded by the wind and sea to leave, what looks like ‘layers’ of rocks on top of each other.  From here it was a straight run down to Greymouth.

Greymouth apparently does not have a lot to offer other than it is famous for Jade carving and It’s the home of Monteith’s Brewery.  The site here is excellent, offering kitchen, BBQ and  laundry facilities as well as a games room, TV room and wifi access to the internet.  Unfortunately, we’re only here for one night, before moving on to Franz Joseph Glacier in the morning.