The Punakaiki Trail

     Today we left Westport heading to Cass.  Along the way we stopped at Punakaiki to take a walk through the “Pancake Rocks” park, which took around half of an hour.  Here’s the story behind these limestone “pancake rocks:” "As soon as the rocks were raised above sea level, millions of years ago rainwater was finding its way underground and dissolving out the limestone into a complex network of shapes and passages.  Now stripped of overlying protective beach gravels and sand, the water-carved limestone and sand continues to be shaped by the restless  of the sea.  Never content, the sea is continually working away at weakness in the limestone.  High-tide waves surge into caves below, trapping air and forcing spray through roof features with a spectacular blowhole effect."  Unfortunately, we were unable to see these blowhole effects since we visited during low-tide.  "Every wave takes away some limestone – sometimes a small amount, sometimes a huge block of rock.  The roof of one cave collapsed long ago , to form part of the Putai Blowhole; another to form the large surge pool .  One day the limestone will be reshaped back into the sea – but not for thousands of years."  

       The walk through the park was short, but there were some gorgeous views of the ocean, and the worn away rocks/cliffs.  Along the way, there were several signs posted that gave short descriptions of various plants.  One of my favorites was the Nikau Palm (species: Rhopalostylis sapida), which is native to New Zealand.  The nikau has a single stout, straight trunk, and leaves are produced from a large solitary "bud" at the top of the trunk.  Unlike palm trees I've seen in Florida and Hawaii, the palm leaves grow more upward than outward, and the bud at their base is what makes it look most unique to me.  Here's a picture of it:

The other plant that most caught my eye was the Kawakawa aka "Pepper Tree" (species: Macropiper excelsum, family: piperaceae).  Kawakawa is a sacred tree with great powers in the Maori spiritual and physical worlds.  It's a small, densely-branched, aromatic tree, found on both the north and south islands of New Zealand.  The large, heart-shaped leaves are almost always holed by chewing insects.  These small holes are what make the plant look speckled with pepper.  

   This stop along our 3 hour drive was very enjoyable, giving us all some time to stretch our legs, see and learn about some native New Zealand plant species, and do a little bit of shopping at the information center :)