Punakaiki and the West Coast

A lot has happened over the past several days, but unfortunately, we hadn't been able to find the time or the internet to update you all! So let's just start from the beginning...

First of all, it's true what they say about the South Island. Not only is the scenery stunning, but oftentimes, you feel like you have it all to yourself. Though the South Island is quite a bit larger than the North Island, it only has about 1/3 of the population. So even though we spent our first day driving on a major highway, we felt like we were the only ones here. It's been great!

Andy and I spent the first few days making our way down the west coast, stopping as often as we could to enjoy this amazing scenery:

Our first destination was Punakaiki to see the famous pancake rocks!

We went on the 20 minute loop walk to explore this geological wonder. A sign we passed read:

“In an age when it seems as if everything has been explained, nature hangs on to a few mysteries. The Pancake Rocks of Punakaiki are among them. Scientists know the rocks are limestone, formed under the sea 35 million years ago by fragments of marine organisms. What they cannot quite fathom is precisely how the rocks came to be in layers...”

In addition to the pancake rocks, we saw heaps of dolphins leaping in the water (which unfortunately we didn't get pictures of) and more great views of the coastline:

Stay tuned for our next stop: Glacier country!