After a hectic couple of days in Christchurch, including the purchase of a car, we have arrived in Paroa on the West Coast to gorgeous weather and sand flies. Nasty little critters which have thus far been picking exclusively on Sarah. Great to be with Eloise’s grandparents, they have been spoiling her rotten!
Following a long drive round Banks Peninsula on Friday evening to test the new car, we drove across to the West Coast in convoy on Saturday 22nd January, stopping for lunch with the kea’s at Arthur’s Pass (at the “Wobbly Kea Cafe“). The kea is a large green parrot-like bird which has flashes of blue and orange under its wings.
The scenery all the way across from East to West Coast is jaw-droppingly beautiful.
On Sunday 23rd January we drove north up the West Coast to Punakaiki (“Pancake Rocks”) for a four-hour riverside walk up the Pororari Track, stopping for a picnic at the water’s edge. A weka (flightless bird) came hunting for scraps of peach. Funny looking thing. 
We took a photo of our new car when we returned to the car park at the end of the walk:
