The Horror

The closest town to Cave Creek is Punakaiki. It's a one hit wonder town. But it's a huge hit - kinda like Europe's The Final Countdown. You know the pancake rocks, the blowholes etc. The tourists! The coachloads! The campervans! The parking problems! Etc.

It had been a while since I was last there - as I said yesterday, 1987 from memory. But I wasn't prepared for the theme park Punakaiki had become. It's a piece of Wild West Coast TM, but it's been somewhat removed from nature for the ease and safety of all those who come by every year. For many of whom it is the only stop they make on the West Coast. (Isn't a feeling of superiority grand?!)

The above shot is of the nicely sealed path one is guided along in order to look at the spectacular pancake rocks, blowholes etc. I remember it when it was dodgy dirt track with rickety fences.

Below is the grand entrance to the reserve. Nice.

Nice how I also waited about 10 minutes while people and traffic disappeared. Naturally I ignored the horrible mess of shops, cafes, people, cars, buses, campervans, motorbikes etc directly behind me.

Oh and look. Just in case you were after a shot of the pancake rocks, the blowholes etc. Here's a blowhole. And people. And nicely sealed path and sturdy fences.



PS: there's an irony here with my lambasting the user friendliness of the Punakaiki resort, as it may well be due in part to the fallout of the incident at Cave Creek, which resulted in DoC having to improve the safety of all its facilities regardless of visitor numbers etc.