Day 30 - February 9, 2023

Day 30:  Greymouth - Hokitika via WCWT

We don our plaid and join the West Coast Wilderness Trail and gently climb to what can only be described as a West Coast icon.  What goes up must come down and this afternoon we do....  We enjoy a stunning ride from Cowboy Paradise down to Hokitika via the Lake Kaniere trails.

Best day ever!!  

"There's no better way to get up close to the West Coast's lush rainforest, pristine rivers, tranquil lakes and rugged beaches, with the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps a truly sublime backdrop.  The spectacular multi-day trail retraces old packhorse tracks, tramlines, railways, water races, historic bridges, linked by flowing singletrack.  Many natural wonders are revealed along the way, while small towns and heritage sites offer a chance to delve deep into the region's fascinating history."  Apparently it has only been open end-to-end for about three years.  How lucky are we to be able to do this, and in perfect weather too?!?

Leaving from our motel this morning.  Temperature was a bit chilly to start, but perfect for the Canadian.........

Group shot at the beginning of the West Coast Wilderness Trail.  They tried to get me in the front row, but I would still be there trying to get up off my knees.....

Then along the floodwall to the breakwater and open ocean.  I missed this monument on my walk yesterday.  It is "In memory of those lost in coal mining incidents within the West Coast Inspection District".  Also a monument on the breakwater in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to the sea, lakes and river of the district.  

First 11 km along the beach to Paroa.  Didn't see any penguins..............

A few more km close to the beach..............

After about 18 km we turned inland to follow the route of the old Greymouth - Kumara Tramway.

Then we came to this very cool section that had old rusting "things" on all the fence posts.  Everything from washing machine parts to milk cans to sewing machines, telephones, farm implements, etc.

Best was this huge bike by the side of the trail.  Check out the little (real) bikes at its base for a sense of scale.

Then into Kumara, an old gold-mining town that had about a dozen huge two-sided info boards up detailing the colourful history of the town.  The town had a population of over 4,000 in 1877.  At one time there were 50 pubs.  The 2018 census recorded a population of 285.  It is hoped that the West Coast Cycle Trail will bring some business to town.  

  The adventure continues...............

Next up................  Kapitea Reservoir

Back into the bush.............

And more water..............

Another thing we saw a lot of today was stoat traps.  Stoats are non-native pests and they threaten the native non-flying birds populations because they eat the eggs.  

And on to the summit at about 56 km.  All of the climbing today was very gentle, so not a big accomplishment to reach the "summit".  

I found this to be a very interesting info board along the way.  The title is "The Alpine Fault".

More nice views as we near our picnic area for lunch.

View from our lunch stop and our lunch-time visitor.  The bird is called a weka.  Prepared (by Tom) sandwiches were very tasty, but I somehow broke a tooth on one.  Guess I'll be chewing on the other side until I get home.........

On our way again.  We descended down a long series of beautifully sweeping curves (which apparently I was doing all wrong; but that's another story....)

Oh look - another lake.  Lake Kaniere.

Then another stunning trail beside another "water race".  

The trail is well equipped with shelters, toilets, signage and km markers.  They've really done an outstanding job with this trail!

More scenery.............

Lots of information boards and historical stuff along the way too.

And - in to our destination town of Hokitika.  A busy place tonight as the NZ Coast to Coast racers leave from here in the morning.  It is a 243 km challenge involving running, biking, and kayaking and takes the competitors from Kumara Beach across the South Island to a beach in Christchurch on the east side of the island.  The elite athletes will cover the course in about 11 hours.  The weekend warriors will take about 24 hours over two days.  Lots of cars with bikes and kayaks on top driving around town.  I absolutely loved today's ride.  Another long one tomorrow...............

  

Stats for the day:

Distance:  102.3 km

Elevation (Garmin):  2551' up, 2578' down

Elevation (RWGPS):  3635' up, 3671' down

Weather:  14C - 20C.  Absolutely perfect weather.  Blue skies, perfect temps.  A bit of a headwind at times, but we were mostly shielded from it.