After enjoying a sunny day of tramping (hiking) and geo caching around Fox Glacier, Justin and I woke up to find a drizzly and overcast day.  Although a bit discouraged, we ate breakfast and headed over to meet our Ice Climbing Guide.

Only after we were 100% geared up (ice boots, pants, jacket, helmet, gloves, ice ax, etc.) our guide explained the weather conditions had worsened and we would be able to get a full refund.  We did get our money back…but had an entire day with no plans.  We drove north up the rainy coast and stopped as soon as the sun broke loose.  Surprise!  Punakaiki is a coastal city known for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. 

What is a pancake rock? layers of limestone weathered to resemble a stack of giant pancakes, the result of stylobedding, a chemical process in which the pressure of sediments creates alternating durable and weaker bands.

What is a blowhole? Don’t think whale…high tide creates a swell in huge sea caverns where the surf rushes in.  Blowholes are best to watch after lots of rain.  Since it had just finished raining this was to our advantage.

This has been a great “Nomad Backpacker lesson”:

1. Be creative, talk to locals: Example:  We drank coffee in a cafe in Fox Glacier, talked to some locals, heard about the Pancake Rocks about 3 hours (drive) north of the Glacier.  We left Fox Glacier with the tentative plan to drive north and hoped the rain would subside.
2. Be calm (breath deeply if you must…) Example:  It was difficult to find a place for the night in Punakaiki (since this is the busy summer season in New Zealand).  After asking at 3 places to stay, and being informed of no vacancy, we knew we could always sleep in the car.  Staying calm is a huge part of being flexible when things change so quickly.
3. Flexibility and adventure will see you through! Example:  We ended up with a cute cabin right on the coast.  It was BYOL (Bring your own linens) so maybe that scared off other travelers who did not have their own sheets, sleeping bags, pillows, towels, etc.  I am glad we were able to benefit from the lack of amenities.

Travel is not always picturesque or glamorous. Life on the road often involves learning to turn undesirable situations into something enjoyable (or at least tolerable).

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Tags | itinerary, New Zealand