Photographer: Josh Eckels
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Breakfast scraps!
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Mottled leaf
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Next step: Buller Gorge
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The South Island's longest swing bridge
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Approaching the center
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Buller Gorge
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Mid-span
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On the far side
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In front of yet another waterfall
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Fortuntately not flooded now
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Doing some digging
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Big trees
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More old mining equipment
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Rebecca getting strapped in
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Ready to launch
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Zipping
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Arms out
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Gliding in
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Thinking it's time to slow down
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Bounceback
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Stacy's turn
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A running start
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Liftoff
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Flying down
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Whee!
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Done flying
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Big finish
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Whitebait (tiny fish) for lunch
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Berlin's Cafe, the only option for miles
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Overlook just north of Punakaiki
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Perpendicular Point
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At the Perpendicular Point overlook
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Checking into the Punakaiki Beach Hostel
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Our room at the hostel, the truck
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Inside the truck, complete with bathroom and kitchenette
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Inside the trunk - sofa and bed
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Time for river kayaking
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Hopping in the boats
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Paddling up river
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Super lush
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Waiting for the dinos to jump out
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On the Porarari River
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Working against the current
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Cruising along
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Bouncing around
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Passing the rapid section
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Shallow section
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Walking over the rocks
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Relaxing in the sun
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Clear cold water
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Little bug
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More shallow water
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Impossible to paddle upstream
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Enjoying the paddle
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Turnaround point
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Much easier going with the current!
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Winding downstream
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Navigating the rapids
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Steep cliffs
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Green green green
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Sun dropping behind the ridge
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Back in the afternoon sun
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One more section to drag through
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Chilly
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Kayak rental spot, closed up
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Breakwater in Punakaiki
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Eroding cliffs
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Walking up the hill
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Sunset near Pancake Rocks
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Pancake Rock structures
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Perched on the side of the path
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Natural bridge
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Golden light
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Lots of pancakes
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Limestone layers
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Blowhole in action
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Blowhole spray
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Spray continued
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Blowhole surroundings
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Sunset rapidly approaches
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About to slip behind the clouds
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Nesting rocks
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North edge of Pancake Rocks
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Crashing waves
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View of the walking path
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Looking north toward the hostel
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Time to get some grub
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More gulls
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Green-lipped mussels
![](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/resized.jeckels.com/27463-209x140.jpg)
Thanks for serving us late, Panakaiki Tavern
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
Unless otherwise noted, all content is Copyright Joshua Eckels.
If you make use of my work, I request, but do not require, that you send me a note and let me know.