Lake Ianthe Matahi

Had a look at the beach where our campsite was located this morning but there was no way that we were going for a swim as the waves and rip tides were very strong. Speaking to the locals the sea is much colder than it usually is at this time of the year but then it's not surprising when they haven't really had their summer this year with it raining everyday on the west coast for the last 11 weeks. Had a lovely day today though with only a short shower this evening.
This area is in another National Park and it's not surprising at all as it is beautiful. We think we have found the most stunning part of NZ today while walking on the Pororari River Track that we found by chance, often overlooked by the Pancake Rocks nearby. The track, which we walked along to a swing bridge and back, ran alongside a beautiful shallow river with unique fern trees and tall limestone cliffs.
We then continued our drive further south stopping off at the beaches on the way including Hokitika where we brewed a coffee and had scones.... Camping by Lake Ianthe Matahi with our hundreds of friends (sandflies) but those aside its very picturesque with a jetty that we sat on to eat tea.Read more