Friday, March 10: Paringa to Greymouth

Paringa to Greymouth - 252 km driving

Early morning at the salmon farm

Kiwi Day!! Ever since we started planning this trip, Erik has been obsessed with kiwi birds, and he’s very excited to hear that this is the day when we’ll see some real live ones. We start our day by grabbing a delicious breakfast at the salmon farm's cafe - naturally they have lots of fishy treats but also delicious baked goods and full cooked bacon-and-eggs-type brekkies too. In the gift shop we pick up some super-fresh salmon fillets (yesterday, they were probably still swimming in the pools out front!) as well as a small kiwi bird stuffed animal (in a hoodie) who Erik soon dubs… Mr Kiwi.

View towards the Fox Glacier

Our drive takes us up the west coast past two of the major attractions in this part of NZ - the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. We make a stop at the Fox to walk a trail that’s supposed to be fairly short and kid-friendly and lets you get a good look at the glacier’s face. Unfortunately, due to flooding most of the trail is closed, and we can only go as far as a historic swingbridge over a river. The bridge and river are worth the trip though, and the short walk through the woods feels good after the drive.

On to Franz Joseph town where we stop for lunch in the shadow of the glacier, on the patio at The Landing restaurant. I go for the hyper-local pizza that has things like lamb and kumara (sweet potato) - delicious! There’s a little gas fireplace one table over - Erik keeps insisting that the restaurant must have marshmallows we can roast over it, but sadly they don’t.

Getting ready to meet the rowi

After lunch, it’s kiwi time! The West Coast Wildlife Centre is a sanctuary for the rarest species of kiwi, the rowi. We learn about how the conservationists track the birds in the wild to figure out when an egg has been laid. Then they bring the egg back to the sanctuary to keep it safe from predators while the chick hatches and grows big enough that it can defend itself, at which point it’s reintroduced into the wild. The highlight is the kiwi room, where two teenaged rowi (about 6 months old) are hanging out. Since they’re nocturnal, the place is lit with red lightbulbs like a photo darkroom - our eyes adjust pretty quickly and we’re able to watch the birds (though unfortunately photos are out of the question). One of the birds is just resting, but the other is skittering around looking for snacks. It’s pretty mesmerizing to see them up close. After we’ve spent our quality time with the rowi, we check out the centre’s other main exhibit - a really well-designed display about how glaciers form and change over time.

Main drag in Franz Joseph, looking toward the glacier

We say farewell to the kiwis and the glaciers and continue our exhilarating mountain driving up the west coast. We’re hoping to make a stop at the West Coast Treetop Walk, just south of Hokitika - based on the timing, we figure we can get there in time to have a wander through their swingbridges and catwalks just before they close. Unfortunately, when we arrive they’ve just decided to close for the day due to soggy weather and few visitors - we’re literally five minutes too late. A little disappointing but it gives us time to put a few more kilometres under our wheels.

When we originally sketched out our itinerary, our plan for this night was to stay in or near Hokitika, but then we found out that this is the weekend of their big annual event - the Wild Foods Festival - and that campsites would probably all be booked up. We aren’t planning to stick around for the festival (and the weather looks kind of iffy for an outdoor fest anyway) so instead we push on to Greymouth, where we pick up some groceries and then settle in at the Kiwi Holiday Park (kiwis again!). I use their communal BBQ to cook up a salmon feast while Erik and Dominic check out the campground’s playground facilities and do laundry. After dinner Erik introduces Mr Kiwi to his new friend Mr Tiger (Erik's favourite travel buddy) and we all settle in for the night.