Punakiaki - anyone for pancakes?

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I wasn't quite sure where to go after my overnight stop in Murchinson. The initial plan had been the Nelson Lakes, which I’d been told were lovely and where I could do some good day walks, but then there was the alternative option of the making use of the car and clocking up some miles!! In the end it came down to a spur of the moment decision when I got up in the morning.........

After Abel Tasman another favourite from our trip last year was the West Coast - I remember Sam and I were driving from Motueka down to Franz Joseph, we’d spent several hours going through lots of lovely green valleys and then we turned a corner and suddenly there was this huge wave that looked like it was going to crash straight into the road infront of us! It was absolutely mad and i think the drive along the West Coast is one of the best that I’ve done... but then I do like my coastal scenery (incase you hasn't gathered from all the beach photo's) ;0) Unlike the Abel Tasman and the sea at Collingwood which usually seem comparatively calm (or the wind is just generally blowing the right way to make them so) the West Coast is really wild with harsh winds and huge waves. The photo’s maybe don’t do it justice but I loved it.

I stopped briefly at Punakaiki, famous for its Pancake Rocks... rocks which have been weathered by wind and waves to look like, ermmm, stacks of pancakes.... There are blowholes here too which are apparently most impressive at high tide when the larger surf sends spumes of water up through the blow holes. By sheer chance (I mean good planning of course...) I managed to be here for high tide and yes the blow holes were impressive but to be honest I preferred just watching the waves crashing up the beach and surrounding cliffs with a coffee and chocolate brownie in hand ;0) (I'm blaming Sam for my new found cake addiction - after we had cake almost every day when we were here last year on hols it doesn't seem quite right not to be doing it now....ahem...). Having had my caffine and chocolate fix it was back in the car, further down the coast to Greymouth and then a turn inland via Arthurs Pass and over to the East Coast.

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