Our first day on the road was supposed to end at Hokitaka, a little tourist town that is the launching point to the glaciers. Well, we did get to go to the very lovely beach there, but couldn't find a hotel room. The same story for several towns up the road. Turns out there was a coast to coast bike ride and a marathon going on that weekend. No wonder everybody looked so fit! We ended up being on the road for 12 hours that first day, but I am sure glad we were. We made a quick trip to the Pancake Rocks and then continued up the coast, enjoying the evening sun.

 They are not exactly sure how the rocks formed in such an unusual structure, but they are obviously sedimentary. Made of limestone, they are reformed continually by the wind and waves. Because of the way they weather, there are many blow holes where the waves meet the rocks. This was also our first exposure to the lush bush of the west coast. Plants grow close together and thick. The grassy stalks in the foreground of these photos is New Zealand flax. Unlike traditional flax which more closely resembles wheat or oats, NZ flax has a very broad leaf and was used by the Maori for clothing and shelter. Woven it made mats. By stripping off the green outer layer (with a clam shell) long strands of very strong fiber are revealed. These were rolled to create rope and also constructed into garments. Today you can't go very far without seeing flax.

A happy, but weary kid. Neither of us really suffered from jet lag going there. I think there was just too much to do! Coming back we had a bit of a problem, but it really wasn't bad. This photo shows Mariah's hair before she got it cut the next day in Wakefield.