We got up at 7 a.m. and drove back past Arthur's Pass Village up to Otira Valley. We were the first to the trailhead, no wonder, it was cold and misty and foreboding rain.
This was our last chance to see a rock wren but there wasn't much birdlife happening on this frigid morning.
It took about an hour to reach the bridge and the end of the established trail where the rock wrens were reputed to hang out. Of course we saw nothing.
On the way back down it started to rain but we made it back to the car before getting too wet.
Lots of pretty unidentified alpine vegetation
We then continued west back to the coast where the plan was to head north to Greymouth and continue up the coast to Westport and a prime birding spot called Cape Foulwind. That didn't seem like the best idea in this stormy weather.
The weather forecast was for rainy weather for the next week so we changed our plans and decided to head to the east coast where the weather looked more favorable.
More attractive foliage, Otira Valley
It continued to rain all the way to Greymouth where we stopped for lunch at Blanchy's Cafe and Bakery.
Chicken bagel and a caramel cookie slice at Blanchy's, a popular Greymouth lunch spot.
Coming out of Greymouth we encountered at least 5 pairs of pukekos acting silly on the side of the road. They can't help it, big feet! Bird of the Day! Then we turned east and took the Lewis Pass route to the town of Reefton, and old mining town turned very cute tourist town, where we stopped at the Broadway Tearooms and Bakery for a tea and goody.
We continued on the winding roads up the pass and over to the east side of the island. It all looked like it would be very scenic except for the bad weather and the hidden mountains. We arrived at Waipara in the pouring rain at 4:30 pm and checked into the Waipara Sleepers, a funky backpackers with railcars converted to sleeping units and a few campervan spots.
It had everything we needed, showers, a heated kitchen, and best of all, no sandflies.
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