Tuesday, January 31st to Wednesday, February 1st, 2023 - Greymouth, West Coast, New Zealand

 

Greymouth - The 'Mouth' of the Grey River is the Gap to the Right.

It appears that this little town of Greymouth was well named, as we have seen no sun since we arrived, other than the briefest of glimmers! It is incredibly unpretentious, even though it is somewhat of a gateway town due to the train and river breaking through the range of coastal mountains here.

Mawhera Quay, Greymouth

This tower and 'sails' at Mawhera Quay were the most elaborate features I found in this little town. The origin story for how the region was created was described on a plaque at this quay on the River Grey.

Maori Origin Story

Normally, when I blog, I interpret signage for you, rather than letting the sign speak for itself. Just posting a picture of a sign seems boring and lazy. However, when you see the full Maori name of this area spelled out at the bottom of the story above, you might forgive me on this occasion. I love the very descriptive and fitting explanation for the hills on either side of the river. They really do look like two butt cheeks spread apart, especially when driving toward them from the east! LOL! I love the earthiness of the explanation - old Tu squatting on the hill!

Greymouth Claims Foundational Importance

Although he town is unpretentious and has little sign of ostentatious wealth, this sign I found reveals pride in its role in the development of New Zealand as a nation. The area drew people to mine coal and gold in the 1860's. Construction of the rail line began in 1880 to carry coal to the more populated areas to the east. The line was not completed until the 1920's when the steep, Otira Tunnel was finished. It was a tough project that bankrupted the company that was building it and the task was finished by New Zealand's Public Works Department. 

Wall Mural Near Mawhera Quay, Greymouth

 As a shipping port, Greymouth had treacherous currents offshore, so there were many shipwrecks. We found no remnants of that shipping history, but did explore a few of the old coal-mining towns about an hour inland - more about that another day.

Viewpoint Along the Great Ocean Road North of Greymouth

Our first outings had us headed north to Cape Foulwind, taking the very beautiful Great Ocean Road.

Viewpoint Along the Great Ocean Road, North of Greymouth

The drive was about an hour an a half, without stops for photos, but what visual delights we found!

Shags on a Rock

These shags were perching on a rock in the distance, most with their head tucked down almost under their wings. It wasn't particularly windy or cold ...... perhaps they were just sleeping.

New Zealand Pigeon - the Kererū

We also saw this rather large bird sitting on a post. We thought it looked like a pigeon and Google confirmed that indeed, New Zealand has their own native pigeon species - the Kererū. We saw him in silhouette, so it wasn't until I processed the photo in my computer that I discovered the lovely soft coloring of its feathers.

The Weka Ruffles His Feathers at Us

Another native bird that has made its acquaintance in many places is the weka. It's a flightless bird about the size of a small turkey and likes to pick up table scraps. We have seen him at picnic spots. This one was at a cafe we stopped at and I loved the way he ruffled his feathers at us. We see them running into the brush and have found them as road kill, too.

An Unruffled Weka

This is what a weka looks like when its not ruffled!

Canada Goose! Really?

I was surprised to see a Canada Goose wandering along a beach on its own. Google tells me that they were introduced to New Zealand in 1905 as a game bird. It's no surprise that they are a pest to farmers, causing crop damage and leaving droppings in places they are not welcomed. Non-hunting New Zealanders don't like them! I thought it unusual to find one on the beach alone - in Fernandina we usually see them in flocks.

Tuaranga Bay - South End of Cape Foulwind

Our primary interest in Cape Foulwind, in addition to testing its name, was to visit a fur seal colony there. The Maori name for them is kekeno.

Where's Waldo?

At first I was a little dismayed - looking out over the grey and black rocks, I feared that 'everyone' was out to sea on a fishing trip. Slowly my eyes were able to discern the occasional grey shape of a seal from the high viewing platform. The colony was not heavily populated and seals were scattered here and there on the rocks. 

Hello There, Little Buddy!

With the help of my 18mm to 300mm zoom, and lots of photo-editing tools, I was able to come up with a halfway decent photo of one that was looking my way, even though I was at least 2-300 feet away.

The Baby Seal Can't Get to His Mother

We enjoyed watching a couple of scenarios between mothers and their babies, This little guy was not able to find a way over the big rock to get to the adult seal which we presumed was mother. She seemed very unconcerned, just lounging on her rock he entire time we watched. The pup tried climbing up to a crevice above her, then seemed to abandon the task as hopeless and instead found a little swimming hole nearby which he splashed around in.

This Little Guy Was More Successful!

The pup in this photo had emerged from the ocean on the opposite side of the promontory. Bit by bit he made his way across to this larger seal which had been sitting near the water. I was pretty happy to capture this 'loving?' reunion in good enough focus to share. We did notice that the pups had darker hair and white spots on their heads.

View From Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki

Another destination worth stopping at was the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki, also on the Great Ocean Road. It was the most highly developed 'touristy' place we have encountered to date, as there was a cafe and a National Parks Visitor Center, along with a large tour bus.

Thar' She Blows!

There were many blow holes. Not the type that push the water up in the air like a geyser, but more of a horizontal crash. It was lovely hearing all the booms as the waves rolled in to the rock holes and reveal the drama of the surf.

Pancake Rocks

The Pancake Rocks are in the same location as the blow holes and the entire complex is quite extensive. Excellent paths have been built, with bridges over some of the chasms.  You can see how these rocks got their name - they look like huge plates of pancakes! They were really quite a spectacular collection of thin limestone layers interspersed with mudstone. The geological feature is called stylobedding and is 30 million years old. The different layers of rock erode erode at different rates, resulting in this somewhat unique appearance.

Southern Breakwater Viewing Platform, Greymouth

Before leaving Greymouth I went out to their Southern Breakwater, which detailed those who had lost their lives in the oceans, lakes and rivers of the area. Until a flood wall was built in 1988, the river flooded the town on a number of occasions, causing extensive damage. We visited a quilt shop a few miles out of town that had been flooded in 2022, but it appears that it was a local event caused by the nearby creek breaching its walls.

Seagull on the Southern Breakwater

I had hoped to see Hector's Dolphins from the Sothern Breakwater. This is a rare variety of dolphin which is smaller than other species. Unfortunately they were not out that afternoon - all I saw was some kelp across the river that I stared at for a long time in hope that it was really a pod of these dolphins. They have black faces and a dorsal fin shaped like a Mickey Mouse ear, so I thought that would be fun to witness. Instead I enjoyed watching the ubiquitous gulls and rather liked this photo of one perched on the fence with the shadow of a crashing wave in the background!

So with that I leave you - next we go inland to visit a couple of small mining towns.