Day 8

We had challenging pancakes for breakfast (the pan was not helping) before walking in the labyrinth rock park again. Full of little toys and cow bones we certainly would have been confounded without the provided map! After disposing rubbish in Takaka we went to the Pupu Springs, a large crystal clear lagoon where any bodily contact with water was forbidden. Honestly the build up around the attraction was a bit to much, so we moved on to the Pupu Hydro Walkway – a track made around a small hydro plant. This was nicer, especially after we left the maintenance track and followed the water race, a man made channel to direct some of the Pupu River to the hydro plant. We had to disagree that the walk was the “best walk in the world!” as the track had boasted.

The next destination in mind was an old iron quarry, but this lead us in circles and up a short bushwalk to nowhere. Therefore it was a great surprise to fine the Milnthorpe Park. A mixed jumble of tracks amongst a 400 acre human assisted coastal rainforest. A further pursuit of the Te Auroua Cave (something like that) resulted in learning that the cave had been closed, three years ago… TAKE THE SIGNS DOWN THEN. Once again though a surprise, as the nearby Devils Boots track went to a cave. Unfortunately I had to go alone again, as the entrance might have trapped Marianne inside. The cave was very big! So large I was concerned about losing direction I turned back quickly. Hurrying back to the car as it was getting late, we had dinner in Collingwood. Unsure of where to sleep a quick search resulted poorly, so we did a 30 minute drive back to the labyrinth for the night.

Entree written by Jack