We left the morning clouds of Hokitika and very quickly were back on the coast road and heading north to the sunshine of Punakaiki.

We stopped a couple of times within the first hour to take in the wonderful beaches leading up to Greymouth.

One of the viewing stops looked out to Motukiekie Rocks and the adjoining beach. It’s one of the lesser-known beaches in NZ, and was both wild & beautiful, with its wonderful arches and cliffs.

After passing through the town of Greymouth we made our way to the infamous Pancake rocks and blowholes, just south of Punakaiki. Rising from the sea at Dolomite Point, the Pancake Rocks are part of a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through underwater channels and escapes via vertical blowholes.

The rocks, dating back some 30 million years, formed as layers on the sea bed which eventually rose under seismic action.

Since then water, wind and salt spray have been constantly eroding the softer layers leaving a ‘pancake’ stack of harder limestone.

There were stunning views from the 2km circular boardwalk.
We were able to get some great views of the rocks, ocean and surrounding coastline.

We were able to capture some of the stunning vistas of both the rock formations and the waves below surging into the blowholes.

Looking back in land we also observed the bush-clad Paparoa mountains rising up from the coast.

Nature was on show everywhere we looked. In fact the visual treats began well before we arrived in Punakaiki, as the Great Coast Road is acclaimed as one of the Top 10 Coastal Drives in the World by Lonely Planet.  

Our route up the Great Coast Road running between Greymouth in the south and Westport in the north proved to be a spectacular road trip taking in glorious coastal vistas and fascinating heritage sites.

After jumping back into the car we made our way to Tauranga Bay Fur Seal colony, a few kilometres from our eventual stopping point for the night in Westport.

This is one of New Zealand’s most accessible seal colonies and one of the best times of year to view when the bull seals return to mate and the pups are at their most playful.

It was only a 10 min walk to the viewing platforms directly overlooking the colony and we weren’t disappointed, finding numerous seals and their offspring nestling in the rocks and pools feeding and resting in the sunshine.

We then decided to follow the Cape Foulwind walkway to the lighthouse, a 2hr return hike along rocky granite bluffs, grassy downs, swampy streams and sandy beaches.

The walk offered panoramic views of the cape and rugged coastline including rock stacks and steeples.

On our walk back we stopped again at the seal colony and managed to see a few of the young cubs feeding with their mother.

Once back to the car, we took a break and enjoyed a smoothie looking out across the bay feeling smug to have found this wonderful walk on such a beautiful sunny afternoon.

It was then a short drive along the coast to Westport where we had booked a great B&B close to the beach. We made the most of this great location with a wander down the beach and a dinner at Donaldo’s cafe in Carters Beach.

Michelle got her wish and indulged in another helping of New Zealand lamb with all the trimmings, followed by an early evening wander along the main beach road checking out the beautiful houses and their gardens/vistas.

Our walk along the beach proved a windy affair but it was so good to have the place to ourselves.

Tomorrow we are making the drive from the west to the east coast and back to Blenheim where we plan to have an afternoon of wine tasting at the various cellar door vineyards.