With Saje nursing her toasted wing, the boys and I had some energy to burn off. We opened presents in the morning that SJ had carefully hidden from the boys and then decided to leave the beach at 11 am for the Punakaiki River walk. A few locals had mentioned it's beauty and the fact that it followed a freshwater river that you could drink from. The boys and I headed out full of smiles and enthusiasm.
Trails in New Zealand rarely have guardrails, much like their roads. Quickly we came upon a section that had recently been affected by a landslide. At least they cleared the track a little.
The boys decided to do their part in supporting this large rock:
The river views were stunning
And you could even walk down into the rocky riverbed:
We found beautiful places where we went straight up
And straight down
The splendour of nature was not lost on us on Christ's birthday. As we walked I read aloud Matthew 1-3 and discussed the text with the boys. It was heartwarming to read the Word out in God's creation and go deeper in the text with my sons. A wonderful gift indeed.
We snacked on chocolate, granola bars and apples before crossing a massive suspension bridge. The boys could have easily spent all day walking back and forth across it and feeling it rock.
We finished the last km along the beachfront. Punakaiki is only a town of 70 people without s store or a gas station, but with these views I could very much see families moving here.
Merry Christmas to all.
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