1/5/23 – Westport to Punakaiki

As we were leaving Westport we saw a new grocery store (Old World) that we just had to experience😊. But before entering the grocery we saw a sign for “pies” that intrigued us🧐. We went into the bakery to check out the pies and found that they all had meat such as venison in them, but then we spotted the bakery items and ended up walking out with 3!!! (Lemon-Poppyseed, Cinnamon-Orange, & Almond croissants:)- breakfast tomorrow morning before heading to Franz Josef and the Fox Glacier. After leaving Westport we travelled the Coast Highway to Punakaiki and the Paparoa National Park. We completed 3 hikes (“walks” or “tramps”) – 1st = The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track; 2nd = the Punakaiki Swing Bridge via the Paparoa Track along the Punakaiki River; and 3rd = the Truman Track to the beach ( low tide is a must!). After hiking for several hours we made our way south along the Coastal highway through Greymouth to a camp site called “Shining Star” in Hokitika.