I woke up once during the night but was able to go back to sleep until 0700. When I was finally out of bed, I ate breakfast (muffin, last of the cookies) in the room. After that, I took my time getting ready, waiting until it was light. After that, I departed the Frantz Alpine Retreat. From there, it didn’t take long to drive to to my first sightseeing destination of the day: the pretty little town of Okarito. It was definitely off season for the beach and I only encountered a few locals. Fortunately, I never got attacked by any sandflies, which I’d heard were the bane of the coastal residents. After checking out the lagoon (perfect for kayaking) and the ocean (Tasman Sea), I started a walk (0900) through a marsh and, eventually, into a rainforest on a high cliff. There were several options for hiking routes but I decided to walk the longest one to reach Three Mile Lagoon. Unlike the Coastal Route that would have taken me though zones susceptible to tidal flooding, the Pack Track followed the highest points above the water. The variety, number and calls of the many birds was amazing! One highlight was when a fantail flew along beside me at eye level for almost 100 yards - these friendly fellows are a lot of fun to watch! Didn’t see any white herons or kiwi, though... I had no cell signal so thought about turning around a few times when I hadn’t found the Lagoon. In the end, I was glad I’d persisted and was rewarded with awesome views of the coastline and glimpses of the high peaks near the glaciers (still cloud covered). The sun actually came out and I shed a layer (to my t-shirt). It was a quick walk back and I arrived at my car just after 1100, having walked almost six miles in two hours. I considered walking on other trails but figured I’d used enough of the morning - I also had a lot more things to do and see before the sun goes down! Backtracking to Route 6 again (after dodging a washout of one lane of the road), I continued north through more curvy mountain roads and, eventually, huge farm fields. I stopped in the town of Hari Hari at 1205 and got some lunch (burger, fries, milkshake) at The Rushes Cafe. There was a funny cat there named Hugo who charmed all the patrons. By 1250, I was on my way north on Route 6 again. For the next hour, I didn’t stop anywhere, even though I saw several intriguing places (including the Tree Walk). With unobstructed sunlight, the day got progressively warmer (mid 60s). I arrived in the nice little town of Hokitika at around 1345. While there, I explored a bit (including the beach). My main reason for stopping, though, was to visit the National Kiwi Centre. After buying a ticket (1355), I toured the many interesting and engaging exhibits. Along the way, I saw a Tuatara lizard (very rare and only found in New Zealand) and huge eels. I also fished for crawdads and actually caught one. Sadly, he managed to steal the bait before I could reel him all the way into my bucket... The kiwi exhibit was great! There were two males in the dark display set up to resemble night time in the rainforest. We couldn’t take photos but the nice lady at the ticket desk later gave me a snapshot card of one of them. I learned that the National Kiwi Centre raises the kiwi from chicks and they are later released into the wild. The numbers of kiwi vary from location to location - most are on the North Island but the ones in the south are making a comeback (slowly). Departing from Hokitika (1445), I continued north on Route 6. After a day of seeing almost no cars, the amount of traffic increased significantly - I had someone in front of me (and on my bumper) all the way to Greymouth. I'd made a reservation at the a hotel, Apostles View, that was located north of town (kind of in the boonies) and stopped in to get my room key. For the first time in years, however, I had a problem with my Booking.com reservation. The owner told me she’d double-booked but told me she wanted "to make things right." Fortunately for me, she'd found another hotel for me and said she’d cover the difference in price. I thanked her and backtracked to Greymouth, where I was able to check into the Sundowner Motel (the clerk gave me some milk for my tea). Unexpected good things came from this SNAFU: I could walk to restaurants and I got a 10% discount at the breweries in town with a hotel loyalty card! I dropped one bag in the room (like the last hotel, the entrance was a sliding glass door) but then left immediately. I’d seen a sign that there were no gas stations for the next 90 km so I stopped at the “Z” (pronounced “Zed”) gas station and refilled my tank (1545). Since I wasn’t ready for my day to end, I next resumed my northerly course on Route 6. Stopping repeatedly for photos along the beautiful coastline, I arrived at the Punakaiki unit of Paparoa National Park just before 1630. After having a rather tough time finding a parking spot, I took a walk on a trail located on a high cliff side above the ocean. The main feature of the park was the odd geological features that resembled piles of pancakes made of stone. I’d seen some photos before I arrived but the geology was even better in person. It was getting dark so I didn’t stay in the area long. Reluctantly, I decided to skip a walk on the Truman Track and head back to Greymouth... As I drove south, I’d hoped to see the sun set over the Tasman Sea but there were too many clouds. Back in my room by 1730, I finished unloading my car and then changed clothes. At 1755, I walked down the street to the Monteith Brewery. It took a while to get served because the place was short staffed (like nearly every other establishment on the island). Eventually (1820), I was able to order and sample six of their local beers - they were all good. The glasses were bigger than the normal “tasters” I’ve seen in the US and I took my time going through the six beers. In the end, I had a real "happy hour" and skipped dinner. After finishing (1930), I walked back to the Sundowner and then rested, read and worked on Duolingo in my room. I went to bed at 2245 after another great day. I’m trying not to focus on the fact I’ve only got tomorrow left for exploring before it’s time to leave...
