The community of Punakaiki lies on the coast road between the towns of Westport and Greymouth. It has become a must to stop here, not just for refreshments and a toilet break but for the amazing natural phenomenon known as pancake rocks. There is roadside parking and  car park then across the road a walkway will take you on a circuit to see both the rock and the blowholes. It takes around 20 minutes to complete but there is no rush and you can take all the time you need. There is no charge for either parking or the walkway.
Geologists know that the rocks are made of limestone and were formed from the remains of sea creatures around 35 million years ago. What they can’t fully explain is why they are in layers. Â The current idea put forward is that there harder limestone layers with are separated by softer layers made from mud. These softer layers erode more easily to create the pancake layering we can see today. This is phenomenon is called stylobedding.
The action of the sea has created rock formations that look very precarious and blowholes that, depending on the state of the tide, suddenly erupt with crashing waves.
The rocks are in a state of constant erosion by the sea and no doubt some will come crashing down and other new formations will appear. Pancake rocks are an amazing sight and well worth half an hour or so on the journey south.
The drive from Nelson in the north of the South Island to Queenstown in the south is one of the greatest road trips in New Zealand if not the world. The scenery along the way is dominated by the Southern Alps and The Tasman Sea. In between there are rain forests, rivers, lakes, pastures, and hardly any human habitation. Indeed most of the vehicles on the road in the summer are fellow travellers. The drive is just short of 900Km and does not need to be rushed as there are many things to see and do along the way. There are a number of ways to break up the journey depending on how much time you have available, we did it over four days which I think is about the absolute minimum.
Day 1. Â Â Â Nelson to Hokitika
Day 2. Â Â Hokitika to Franz Josef
Day 3. Â Â Franz Josef to Wanaka
Day 4. Â Â Wanaka to Queenstown
The following photographs are in the order taken travelling down the coast.
From the Picton ferry there is a choice of two routes to the city of Nelson. The first follows State Highways all of the way and is very much the long way round. The second route is to take the minor road almost straight after the ferry. It starts to climb immediately to give fantastic views of the bays and inlets of Picton harbour and beyond. The road twists, turns, Â climbs and descends until it eventually joins with State highway 6 just before the town of Havelock. In doing so you have passed the most gorgeous scenery. It might be slower but it is an absolute pleasure. From Havelock the route to Nelson is the same.
Havelock is a small town and you might be tempted to pass on through if it wasn’t  for the fact that it is the Greenshell Mussel capital of the world. Greenshell Mussels are farmed in the waters of the Marlborough Sounds and are unique to New Zealand. They are huge, about 4 inches in length, and have a vivid green rim around the shell. Sadly I didn’t take a photograph but they are available in all their glory at The Mussel Pot (73 Main Road) where they have been seeing them for 20 years and are well worth a stop for lunch.
Nelson is a small city by British standards with a population of around 50000. It is the oldest city in the South Island, which may be hard to believe as it appears thoroughly modern today and is one of New Zealand’s most liveable cities.
Queens Gardens Nelson
The city was named after Horatio Nelson and this can also be seen in the the names of streets such as Trafalgar and Hardy. The city has a good range of restaurants and bars selling craft beer. It seems that you don’t need to travel very far in New Zealand to find a craft beer brewery! A personal favourite was The Free House ( I think I will do the beer reviews in a separate post). To show just how small the world actually is I met an ex work colleague, in the beer garden, that I hadn’t seen for several years.
About 20 miles west of Nelson, on the shore of the Tasman Bay, is the small town of Mapua. Mapua is the gateway to the vineyards of the Nelson wine region and from here it is possible to hire a bike and explore the wineries. Be warned however, the region around the Moutere Hills does, not surprisingly, present one or two challenges.
The town of Mapua itself is an absolute delight with an excellent selection os shops, bars, restaurants and, you guessed, a craft brewery
From Mapua you can catch the ferry to Rabbit island which is the largest island in the Tasman Bay. It runs once an hour on the hour and costs 12 NZD return. It gives access to cycle routes if you have hired bikes from nearby trail journeys and want a flatter route than the Moutere Hills. You can also drive to the island near the town of Richmond but that does take away some of the fun.
