New Zealand - West Coast & Glaciers

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The West Coast District of the South Island Packs in Variety, from Rugged Coastlines to Mountain Glaciers

In one day, was able to walk through a dense rain forest, sit on a deserted ocean beach, and peer up at a mountain glacier in the Southern Alps! Here is a sampling of my time on the West Coast...

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Photos

Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki
The famous Pancake Rocks are limestone formations carved by wind and sea over 30 million years ago.

The Putai Lookout
I was hoping to see the famous blow hole behind me that shows best during high tide and in rough weather. I came back at high tide, but no show while I was there. The one time I wanted stormy weather...

Beach at the end of Truman Track
A 15-minute walk through rain forest ended at this beautiful beach.

Pororari Gorge Walk
This track follows the Pororari river up a scenic gorge.

Coastal view on my drive between Greymouth and Hokitika
The weather here changes by the minute

The coastal road winds its way inland for awhile
This is pasture land between the mountains and the Tasman Sea.

Not much farther, I was at Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier comes closer to to sea level than any other temperate region glacier in the world.

Close-up
You can drive to the glacier parking lot 8km from the town of Fox Glacier, and walk to the foot of the glacier in around 30 minutes! Can you see the hikers at the bottom of the photo?

Comments

[Val Schmitt]

Fantastic photos!
Wow - how incredibly beautiful. Thanks for inspiring me for a trip in the future, wish we could just go now!