Rain, wind to Pancake Rocks and Blowholes

April 27

Yesterday’s nice, cycling-friendly weather is gone. I’ve woken up several times to the rain whipping against the tent and the wind gripping it.

I stay in the tent until eight in the hope that it will subside, but it doesn’t, it almost gets worse. I decide to fight the weather and pack my things and head north along the coast.

Headwind, then after the next bend crosswind, and soon the rain is pouring down – topped with a series of tough hills to fight against.

After four km at I stopped at a memorial. The place is called “Strongman Mine Memorial”. A huge stone statue with a sign that names and pays tribute to the nineteen who died in a mining accident on January 19, 1967 just close to this place.

Despite the bad weather, slopes and the diabolic winds I can take in the stunning beauty of New Zealand’s coastline
and feel the incredible power of the ocean.

By noon I arrive in Barrytown, soaked from the outside in to the inside.A hotel and a bar with an “open” sign caught my eye.
First I needed to dry some clothes and I also was thirsty for a beer.

The bar lounge was nearly empty, with only the bar owner and a Rottweiler resting comfortably by the open fireplace.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist greeting him, and he seemed to enjoy it.

I draped my soggy clothes the radiator by the lounge entrance, praying they’d dry out instead of slow-cooking into a warm, damp disaster.

I ordered coffee and a pint and the bar owner said that this weather would continue all day and get worse! Just to accept this. Fore some seconds I had in my thoughts to ask a room for the night – but I jumped that.

After a much-needed break, I hopped back on my bike. At times, the wind—especially the crosswind—was so strong I had to steer carefully just to keep from tipping over.

The wind is so very gusty that at one point I was a hair’s breadth away from the wind sending me down a slope towards the sea. On another occasion I blew across the wall when the wind grabbed the bike, luckily no traffic came!

My speed is anything but fast, average 11 km/h. Some part barely steering speed, 7-8 km/h

Even though the weather is not at its best, I can‘t help but be fascinated by the views around me. I‘m in the middle of Paparoa National Park and where I am right now. 

Punakaiki is famous for the Pancakes Rocks and Blowhole Costline which is a heavily eroded limestone area that resembles pancakes laid on top of.

The first hotel sign I see is on a hill above Punakaiki beach and the village. The hotel is unmanned, but in the reception, which is a small building next *
to the hotel, is open and on the counter there is a computer where you can see if there are available rooms and the cost.

To book, I will select a room from a map showing the rooms and select the check-in and check-out dates. Then complete the booking by providing my personal information, credit card type and number.

After checking the prices I decide to try to find something cheaper further ahead and jump on the bike again and continue down the hill down towards the village.

Punakaiki which is just a beach resort and not much more. But there are two hotels here, both are down by the beach. The one I like is called Punakaiki resort hotel and has the sign Vaccancy at the entrance.

The hotel has both a main building with a large panoramic window facing the sea and a number of annexes with rooms all with views of the beach.

A large beach is right in front. Surely a very popular place in five or six months when it is summer here in the southern hemisphere but right now completely empty of people!! I get a double room in one of the low annex

buildings to the right of the hotel with a view of a stormy sea whose waves are now five or six meters high.

I unpack most of my things and bring clothes and tents into the room. I put on the radiator that is after one of the long walls and hang up wet clothes and shoes

In the closet that is by the toilet. I resort to a “non-environmentally friendly measure”. In a drawer I find a hair dryer and hang it in one of the two-part cabinets and hang up more clothes and the sleeping bag and then I start the hair dryer with full effect and close the door.

Also rearrange the furniture in the room so that I can bring the tent in and pitch it up. The tent also needs to be dried up.

Then into the shower and thereafter TV and rugby. After a while of much–needed rest with my legs stretched out on the bed, I walk up to the hotel building for a late dinner.

The restaurant has a beautiful view of the sea through the large windows that run along. Apparently, it a popular hotel, with nearly every table taken, but I manage to snag one off to the side close to the panorama windows.

After dinner, I returned to my room to make sure everything had dried up, like a detective solving the great mystery of the
missing moisture.

Outside the sea was storming up…

Then more TV and news from Sky News, a few cups of coffee and then some googling about tomorrow‘s route. Checking also the weather forcasts and it seems that the weather will apparently be quite decent at least until well into the afternoon but I don‘t have to worry about the slopes.

The plan is to get to Westport which is about 60 km north after the coastroad. As usual I fall asleep to a downloaded
SR program.