Paparoa National Park

Despite the weather forecast still predicting a rain free day, the rain hammering down on top of the van suggested otherwise. We still had a bit of a drive to today's destination, the Pancake Rocks in Paparoa National Park so we hit the road and hoped the sun would show its face when we got there. Another great drive with the final part taking us along the coast where we had a great view of the stormy sea.

The pancake rocks get their name as a layer-weathering process called stylobedding (yes I have copied that from the Lonely Planet) has carved the limestone into layers which if you have a vivid imagination could slightly resemble pancakes. Despite the weak resemblance to pancakes the rocks were pretty spectacular. The terrible weather also played in our favour here as the stormy sea surging through the rocks was mesmerising to watch. The rain even stayed away whilst we were and the sun almost came out.

We then continued our journey South ending up in Greymouth. The plan here is to cycle some of the West Coast Wilderness Trail but I fear the weather isn't going to play ball. We will just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.Read more