Back "Home" and fun around Hokitika

We had to move out of the house this week for two nights because the house had been previously rented for a big event here, the Coast to Coast race.  Crazy fit people kayak, bike and run from Hokitika to Christchurch in either one or two days.   Competitors cycle 140 kms (three stages of 55km, 15 km and 70 km), run 36 km (including a 33 km mountain stage that crosses the Southern Alps) and kayak 67kms of the grade two Waimakariri River through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge.  Top competitors take ten and three quarter hours to cover the 243kms while the slowest time ever recorded was twenty-four and a half hours.

There wasn't much to see since they start real early but there were a lot of cars in town with long skinny kayaks on top. 

Anyway we are back "home" now and settling in. 

We've had time last weekend to explore the area a little.  Greg and Lea went to see the Crusaders play rugby.  The Crusaders are a part of New Zealand regional league.  We've got to figure out the rules for that since it's THE big sport around here.  New Zealand hosted the world cup tournament last year and the home team the All Blacks won.  Some players from the All Blacks were on the Crusaders team.

Really?  What are they doing?



A couple of weekends ago Hokitika sponsored a driftwood sculpture competition....people were really creative.  We walk by these on our beach walks. 

Mooooo

We also were shown this awesome swimming hole on a near by river.  Me Jane you Tarzan.  I didn't have the nerve to do the swing rope but did jump in from the tree.  Quite refreshing!

There's (my) Tarzan swinging into the river in a colorful bathing suit! 

Monday February 6, was a national holiday, Waitangi Day.  The holiday marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document.  There were no special events like fireworks around but it did mean an extra day off so we drove north to Punakaiki to see the pancake rocks and beautiful coast line.  At certain tides, winds and currents there are holes and spaces in the rocky formations on the coast that create blow holes or huge spouting of water.  We didn't see that this time but it was awesome.  One interesting event (interesting for us anyway) was that someone had fallen on the rocks nearby and hurt himself bad enough that he couldn't hike out and needed medical attention.  Someone called the emergency number (like 911) and a helicopter came to resue the man and bring him to the hospital.  There is a lot of helicopter traffic around here, I guess it's the easiest way to get access. 

Figuring out the traffic signs.  Unfortunately didn't see any of these critters.