Today's excursion was actually the start of a 5-day treck to the west side of the south island. We started off the day driving to the mountains. We passed through a town called Springfield, where the main tourist attraction was the Simpson's donut. They used to have a giant tire, but apparently a vandal set it on fire a few years back.
We later got to Porter's Pass, where we encountered snow for the first time in New Zealand. Luckily, visibility on the mountains was very clear; hardly any fog was present blocking the amazing view.
Enjoying the views, we continued on to Castle Hill, which was full of limestone rock structures. The whole place used to be underwater, and the acoustics were great. The ultimate game of Marco Polo could totally be played there.
On our way to lunch, we stopped at the Avalanche Creek Shelter. We were told that we may be able to see a Kea, the only alpine parrot in the world. It just so happens that it's also very endangered as well.There was a belief previously that the Kea would prey on sheep, so farmers used to shoot them. Well, it turned out that this bird was not at elusive as it was made out to be, because they tend to like an audience. It also became quite clear that they were used to being fed because one hopped over, jumped up on the picnic table and consequently stole a sandwich. (Photo courtesy of Jámm)
After that eventful lunch, we went to Devil's Punchbowl Track, where we hiked to a nearby waterfall. The weather was still amazing, but the bridges going towards the falls were covered in ice and slippery. On the way up, we were showed the stinkwood plant and black beech, which was pretty cool to learn about.
We ended the day by watching the sunset at a beach in Greymouth and checking into our hotel. At night, we learned how to weave flax into fish figurines! Everyone added a touch to personality to the school of fish. Can't wait for the next 4 days!
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