• Janet TaylorNew ZealandJanet Taylor
    Limestone cliffs on the road to Punakaiki
    Viewpoint on the road to Punakaiki - Tasman SeaWaves rolling in from the Tasman SeaBeach in front of our hotel in PunakaikiBeautiful west coastRocks carved by waves on beach in PunakaikiPancake Rocks - Limestone undercut by wavesPancake rocksPancake RocksPancake Rocks - amazing coastline in Punakaiki2Along the trail at the Pancake RocksThe ocean slowly wearing down the rocksRugged coastlineThis mama Weka came right up to us. It made me a bit nervous.This Baby Weka was with its momJust an interesting vine growing in a fern treeNo idea what these are but it looks like a flower within a flowerOrakito - Cloud covered mountains in the distanceThe sun sets in Orakito

    Punakaiki to Orakito

    January 25 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    On Saturday, we drove from Marahau to Punakaiki. It was a long drive on a winding road but the scenery was beautiful. Our hotel was literally on the beach looking out at the Tasman Sea where the waves were pounding in. We did our laundry and walked on the beach and had a quiet evening.

    The next day we got going a bit early so we could see the Pancake Rocks. From our hotel we walked along a 1 km trail to the Interpretive Centre. The centre had great information about the local ecosystem and how the rocks formed. We then walked along another short trail to see the rocks. I'm not sure the photos do them justice but they were quite amazing.

    After our visit to the rocks we got on the road to Orakito along another winding, narrow but beautiful road. Orakito is a small village of about 40 houses. It's beautiful but has no services so we drove 25 mins to Franz Josef to eat supper and get a few groceries.

    We finished the day with a walk along the beach. Jon went out again a bit later to catch the sunset.    Read more