Nov 5th – Today was another long journey, so once again we broke it up with interesting stops along the way. We began with a trip up a very winding mountain road to the site of the old Denniston Coal Mine. Through a number of different story boards the life and times of miners was told through the years that the mine operated. In the 1870s most of the miners came from Britain. Life at the mines was very hard due to isolation, horrible working conditions, and rudimentary mining practices. Things improved with the advent of electricity, the building of a road up the mountain, and better working conditions. As the demand for coal waned the mine finally closed in 1967 but friends of the mine have continued to tell the story through the museum and tours. If you want to read more check out http://www.dennistonmineexperience.co.nz.

We then moved on to Cape Foulwinds to see the seal colony. There were quite a few frolicking in the sea and lying on the rocks. We could say they were sunning themselves but there was no sun!

A little further along the road we stopped at Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes. Scientists aren’t sure what has led to these unique rock formations but they really are quite a sight. We were fortunate to arrive around high tide, which makes the blow holes active as the water rushing in is pushed through holes in the rock causing large vertical sprays and lots of noise.

Our last stop for the day was Okarito, a lagoon just northwest of Franz Josef.  It is the largest unmodified wetland in NZ and is the pride of the very few people who live there. Great care is taken to keep it in pristine condition.

Our stop for the night was at the Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef. What a happening place. The town is a mecca for extreme sports so young people are everywhere. The Rainforest Retreat provides accommodation of every type imaginable and there was a large indoor cooking area where many of the kids were preparing and cooking their dinner. I don’t think we’ve ever been to a place like that.