in the merry old land of aus: punakaiki

We spent time the next day in Punakaiki, the city known for the pancake rocks and blowholes. Once we got off the bus, we found our little cabin along the river, that we got all to ourselves, and dropped our backpacks. We walked up the beach and, believe it or not, enjoyed our first taste of the New Zealand sun. While walking along the beach, i saw my first jellyfish! After hearing about the ones the size of nickels that can sting you and be fatal, I have been especially aware of where I am stepping along the beaches. I know there are some people at home who will appreciate this extra effort I am taking to stay safe!

After walking along the beach, we trekked up the hill into town to look at the pancake rocks and blowholes. I understand the pancake rocks to be strange rock formations that were formed over 2.5 million years ago under the surface of the Tasman Sea. They have been pushed upwards and are now above the waters surface, being eroded by the constant forces of wind and water. They have unique shapes and look like pancakes in giant stacks. The blowholes are areas that have been hallowed out by these same forces and now when waves crash into the bottom of the formation, the visible mist comes out the top, just like the blowhole of a whale. It is hard to capture the magic of the pancake rocks and blowholes in action, but the girls and I showed up to see them at high tide in Punakaiki. The pancake rocks was the reason that Alison, Heather, and I decided that we had to stop in Punakaiki. I haven’t seen anything like these stacked rocks at home, however the force of water that helped to create it reminds me of how the Niagara Gorge was created by the force of the Niagara River cutting through stone. The rest of our day was good; we ate dinner and watched a beautiful, pastel sun set on the beach.