Nelson New Zealand Jan 29 - 31, 2010

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Wairepo House, Tasman, Nelson January 29 to 31 -- Jan 31 Panakaiki

The Costal Road from Picton to Nelson is very scenic for the passenger but requires full concentration from the driver as it twists and winds it way along the mountain face, particularly when some of the drivers coming the opposite direction are on your side of the road. What a nice surprise the Wairepo House was after the drive; a bed-and-breakfast on a large fruit farm, beautiful house with a pool. The owners Joy Anne and Richard directed us to two different restaurants for dinner both facing out to the sea, both terrific meals and both restaurants that on our own we never would have found. On Saturday we drove to the Abel Tasman National Park and took a sea shuttle along the coast line and had it drop us off at one of the bays and then setoff on 7km hike to the next bay to be picked up. The only problem was that the hike commence with a heart pounding air gasping climb. Mare was terrific on the hike. After another sumptuous breakfast we are off on the 31st to Punakaiki. Punakaiki is situated in the middle of a National Forest on the coast. One of it’s features is blowholes and pancake rocks that have been created by the combination of sea eroding the limestone cliffs. Aside from a hike up to the area with the blow holes and the pancake rocks this was a time to just take it easy.

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Photos

Abel Tasman National Park
This huge rock was cleanly split in two

Abel Tasman National Park
There were a number of seals basking in the sun

Abel Tasman National Park
This is a bridge that we had to cross on our hike

Abel Tasman National Park
Mare about to cross the bridge

Punakaiki
The rocks along the coast

Punakaiki
You can see the pancake layers of the rocks in this picture