Greymouth

What a fantastic week we had in Greymouth. For those on holiday in the area, the weather was perfect, though it is extremely dry and not so good for those who need moisture for their farms and gardens. 

We spent most of our time camping beside the Grey River at the Cobden Bridge. The council provide a waste dump, fresh water and rubbish bins. It is very close to the town centre and a short walk to our friends, Shirley and Rami’s place.

Camp site close to town centre.

View from the hill above our camp site.

View of the Grey Valley from King Park Track. This track
is behind Shirley and Rami's place in Greymouth.

We did lots of walking, cycling, fishing and had several picnics. The walks ranged from half an hour to up to three hours. The bush is never far away when you are on the Coast and it is so easy to make use of all the tracks that are about.

One walk  we did was the Pororari River track which takes you in a loop from from the Punakaiki River, over the ridge and down along side  the Pororari River and back to the main road. 

Shirley and Stephen thought it would be great to have a swim as the water looked very inviting. Even with the lower than normal river levels the water was still fairly cold. I must say that I was very pleased that a walking bridge has now been erected over the Punakaiki River, as last time we did this walk we had to walk through it. I must have a low threshold to cold as it was so painful.  We finished this three hour walk with a picnic tea.  Shirley loves a picnic and is very good at organising a feast quickly.

Two such picnics in progress, one at the end of the Pororari River track, and the other while watching the 'boys' fishing off the rocks at the 12 Mile. This is where Stephen almost got his snapper.

We did one big bike ride along the start of the new track that takes you from Greymouth down to Hokitika and beyond. We did a good 20km round trip, going just beyond Paroa (close to turn off to Shanty Town.)
Stephen and Rami did lots of fishing - both in the sea and the river. They weren't quite as successful as we had hoped though they still caught a trout, several butterfish and mullet. Stephen had a snapper on the line one evening but it managed to wriggle off. Eating fresh fish is an experience that is hard to beat.

Fishing off the Cobden Beach

The sun setting on Cobden beach.

Fishing for Kahawai in the Grey River.

Trout fishing in the Arnold River.

Fishing off the rocks at the 12 Mile.