Nelson Lakes National Park and the start of the West Coast Highway

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Date visited: 26.1.07

We drove south for 3 hours to head inland a little to St Arnaud and the Nelson Lakes area - a fjordland like area of hills and lakes without the crowds (not that you get those over here)!.

We wanted to camp by one of the lakes here at one of the many free or very cheap camp sites but as we got to our idyllic spot after a while of searching we got totally attacked by the notorious sand-fly - a flea like creature that bites and creates incredibly itchy spots on your skin. I had to eat lunch in the car whilst B braved it outside. This was the first major encounter we had and the first realisation at how annyoying they can be. Worse than midges in their numbers. More in your face than Flies, and a hell of a lot itchier in bites than Mozzy's.

As we hadn't unpacked our tent from the car we just set off driving again and abandoned our plan of a lovely day walk over a ridge 😞

What can you do?

We drove through a mountain range to get to the wild west coast 4 hours later where we arrived at Punakaiki - a small village on the West Coast.

We luckily got a double room at an amazing rainforest lodge right by the sea where wooden cabins were discreetly hidden amongst the thick jungle and a network of cute paths would take you to whatever lodge you booked in at. This was a total gem find. Our cosy loft room was most comfortable.


http://www.tenikauretreat.co.nz/ - I think our room was in the second picture (top row).

We enjoyed a walk to the ocean from the lodge following a rainforest path (all in the grounds of this place but as it's so close to the beach it just lead us there). The sea looked very wild and dangerous. The sunset was stunning.

We checked out the famous' pancake rocks' closeby - a geogolical spectacle caused by millions of years of sea erosion (the pictures show this better than words). At high tide the sea crashes through the rocks and caverns filling the gauges at speed and rushing through the channels and funnels in the rocks and pinnacle type formations. The water then rushes through and upwards through these 'blowholes' where a huge funnel of sea spray and mist can be seen several metres upwards in the sky. I liked the booming sound of the sea as it travelled through the rocks. So loud!

Pretty impressive.

The wild west coast is certainly beautiful. It reminds me of western scotland for its rugged rocky coastline, and cornwall for the large surf.

Also in this area we checked out a lovely rainforest walk which followed a sparkling river which passed towering limestone cliffs before winding back to the village. I think we only passed 2 people on the entire 4 hour walk.

We returned to the blowholes at high tide to end the day but no, we didn't get wet from the spray.

Worth a shot though!

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Photos

Indiana Jones SwingBridge over the Buller River
Sal on New Zealand's longest Swing Bridge

The Wild West Coast
We wondered through bush from our Rainforest retreat near Punakaiki to turn up at this extensive bit of coastline at sunset

Punakaiki Rocks
Otherwise known as 'Pancakes' Rocks due to their layered appearance which has slowly formed over millions of years.

Punakaiki Rocks - near the Blow Holes
The sea rushes through this narrow gorge (especially at high tide) and batters the rocks. The water funnels up the cliffside through holes in the rock to create a spray of seawater. The area was very loud at high tide as the sea crashed through the gaps.

Our 3 hour afternoon walk near where we were staying
The walk followed a river and limestone cliffs before it entered dense jungle. The walk concluded with a knee-deep river crossing.