Hello to all. Another slightly old set of pics from the South Island tour a couple of months back. The pancake rocks were really cool. The mixed layers of sediment and limestone are carved into these fantastical shapes by the pounding Tasman Sea. As you can see, they can take on any number of crazy figures including the Where the Wild Things Are - type creatures in the guide posted at the site.
The beaches on the West Coast are not the pretty white or golden sand beaches elsewhere. More dark, rough and wild looking. Actually the whole coast is wild and rough looking, but it does have a really cool vibe to it. We scavenged the beach a bit for fugitive pieces of jade. Jade is a national symbol of NZ and sacred to the Maori culture. You can find it dredged up and deposited on the west coast like gifts from the sea. But you are not supposed to keep it and all should be turned in to the authorities as it is all by law owned by the Maori. Due to the foregoing legal conditions, we are unable to confirm or deny whether or not we saw any jade and whether we have any currently in our possession :)
Needless to say, the sunset was awesome! The sun slipped away into the pounding surf and sea water spraying in the whipping wind in a display of color unlike that which I have ever seen.
Cheers!
PS - really bummed we missed the snow back home :)
1 comment:
WOW! I could see lots int he rock formations. That is awesome and to think that it is a work of nature not tools. Love the photos. tell me you really miss the snow, with a straight face! We have some coming down in MN. right now. We need at least one more blizzard! Love and hugs,
YVBA
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