Cobden

Estimated Travel Time and Kilometers

Mapua - Nelson 30 minutes. 32 km
Nelson - Westport 3 hrs 226 km
Westport - Punakaiki 45 minutes. 57 km
Punakaiki - Greymouth 30 minutes. 45 km

Totals for Day 4 hours 45 minutes 328 km

Hahaha. All of our estimates need to be doubled. This trip us about 7 hours.

We have done the drive to Nelson twice now - a lovely town. This time we turned just before we got to the town to drive towards Westport.

The road starts out flat as we drove through farmland and open plains. On the north island, we saw herds of cattle but here we were starting to see sheep.

We stopped for a coffee in Murchison which is a picturesque small town on the Buller River. People come here to experience the whitewater rafting and jet boating activities on this river. We stopped in for lunch.

Back on the road, we drove through the scenic mountains again and then through the Buller Gorge along rivers and through gullies with mountains towering high above. Chris’ arms got a workout on these windy roads.

We had been advised to fill up with gas whenever we could as there are long distances between gas stations. We didn’t see any stations until we got to Greymouth.

The road to Punakaiki hugs the coast, providing spectacular views of wild beaches and the wild Tasman Sea. At Charleston, formerly a prosperous gold town, once again we saw lots of touristy things to do - underground rafting and cave exploring trips.

Punakaiki is famous for its pancake rocks and booming blowholes. It is the centrepiece of the Paparoa National Park, which is packed with a variety of stunning landscapes. There appears to be many excellent coastal and inland walks in this area. I have written a footprint of this beautiful place.

The road to Greymouth is breathtaking - the Great Coast Highway. White capped breakers and rugged rocks on one side, bush-clad mountains on the other side. The town of Runanga is a typical mining village with an interesting walk to nearby Coal Creek Falls. I have read a lot about the Point Elizabeth walkway which we didn’t have time to do.

Finally we made it to Greymouth. It has a long gold mining history and is the largest town on the west coast. It known for its awesome seascapes and a Wild West look and feel. Actually kind of bleak. The local brewery, Monteith’s, runs tours and has a bar/restaurant. Chris and I went there for a ribs dinner and checked out their beer. All good.

We are staying in an old catholic monastery that has been converted into a hostel. Our room was lovely and with good views of the mountains and town but it was stuffy and not our favourite place. It rained all night so lived up to its name of Greymouth. It was grey for the whole time we were there.

If we did it again, we would drive just a little further south to the happening town of Hopitika.Read more