Cross-dressing and pancakes in Barrytown

We continued our journey down the spectacular West coast, which really reminded me of Jurrasic park, steep limestone cliffs covered in palms and ferns. I have expected a t-rex to come stomping out at us. The drive through the gorges and valleys should have been incredible but unfortunately we hit our first real band of rain, so I could'nt really see much further than the edge of the road!

We were supposed to stop for a number of hikes en route but again, the weather made that nearly impossible. We did make one stop however, which turned out to be a highlight of my whole New Zealand trip. Pancake rocks are a geological phenomenon which noone has managed to explain successfully yet. A complex of caves, narrow canyons and tunnels running right out into the sea, the rocks appear to be made up of hundreds of thin pancake-formations stacked on top of one another. The stormy weather and high tide made the waves even more spectacular, rushing into the narrow gorges and escaping through blow holes more than 20m high. I was in my element, running from view point to view point fascinated by the combination of stormy seas and incredible geology! By the time I got back on the bus I was wet, wind swept but much to amusement of everyone who took shelter in the local cafe, delighted!

I settled on a camp Miami vice look, with white trousers, a very loud hawiaan shirt and jacket with the sleeves rolled up!

Soon after the rocks we arrived in Barrytown, a tiny hamlet right on the coast, with a population of about 60 people. We were staying in the one and only pub in town,and in true Stray tradition,they had a party. This was obviously a regular occurence as the pub had boxes of second hand clothes for the obligatory cross-dressing fancy dress theme! As always, all the boys decided the go as women and quickly stole the best dresses/heels! I settled on a camp Miami vice look, with white trousers, a very loud hawiaan shirt and jacket with the sleeves rolled up! It was great night and I think I finally rolled in at about 1am, relieved I had opted out of the activity the following morning!

As everyone else rolled back out of bed at 8am to go bone carving, I enjoyed a long awaited lie in before heading down to the beach for a quick stroll. I had heard that greenstone, a semi-precious stone unique to New Zealand, was sometimes found down there and I thought I'd try my luck. The beach was spectacular, barren and sweeping with huge limestone cliffs running straight into the sea at either end. I walked with my eyes peeled and just as I was leaving, spotted a green stone in the water. After soaking my boot to retireve, I proudly presented it to my driver to ask his opinion, was it the real thing? He seemed pretty excited and suggested I took it to a greenstone factory to make sure. I did just that and now my lucky Barrytown greenstone is hanging round my neck.