We got a late start to the day thanks to Jan’s lovely breakfast, but nevertheless decided to make the trek up to Karamea and Kahurangi National park. The 100km, then switchbacks, then 16km on a bumpy dirt road did not deter us from wanting to visit the “jungle”, root-beer (tanin-stained) rivers, and famous limestone arches and caves that served as a basis for many of Gollum’s cave scenes in LOTR.
So, was Kahurangi worth the drive? Yes! The walks in the rainforest were magical, the arches spectacular, and we we had the place all to ourselves. Only 2 other cars in the whole national park! That’s what we love so much about this country! We had our first encounter with Wekas – pesky chicken-like birds that come right up to your car wanting food. We visited Moria and Oparara Arches, as well as Box Canyon and Crazy Paving Cave, where we got to see GLOW WORMS for the first time! (JD is now officially hooked on spotting them). Turns out they are nearly everywhere in the country, you just need a dark damp place to go looking for them.
On the drive back, we stopped at Charming Creek, an old mining railway turned walkway (4km each way). We managed to squeeze in a brisk walk before sunset. Old mining relics, tunnels with glow worms and waterfalls were highlights of this lovely walk. To top it all off, we enjoyed a lovely sunset over the Tasman Sea on the drive back to Westport, and then got to snuggle into our lovely annexe at the Havenlee Homestay.
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