Wellington Journal: South Island Days 14 – 15: Blowholes, Pancakes & Nelson

26 April 2009

South Island Days 14 – 15: Blowholes, Pancakes & Nelson

NOTE: This is the final entry in our South Island picture round-up. I had hoped to finish our south island trip pics before we left for a trip of the north island, but no such luck. So despite the fact that we have just now finished our north island trip, and have got plenty of pictures to show for it, I’m going to post these last pictures first.

And now that you’re totally confused, dear reader…

Punakaiki

After several days relaxing on the beach in Hokitika, we started the final leg of our trip: first from Hokitika (A) up along the west coast highway through Punakaiki (B) and then across the top of the south island to Nelson (C); finally, back to Picton and across to Wellington (D) on the ferry.

We stopped at least once as we traveled up the coast to shoot some photos; we could easily have stopped much more often. The only thing that I’ve seen in the states that compares to the New Zealand coast is the coast of Oregon, or possibly the Olympic peninsula in Washington, but even these seem to pale compared to the vast number of beautiful formations that just make you want to stop and stare and say, “whoa”. It’s always amazing to see what you get if you just pound rock with water for, say, a few million years.

Possibly one of the best (or at least most concentrated) examples of this are the “blowholes” and “pancake rocks” near Punakaiki. As you can see from our pictures, the layers of limestone and sediment gradually worn down from the Pacific surf create a host of otherworldly towers and portals, which then channel the water into spectacular geysers. Check it out.

Along the way up the west coast

Pancake rocks and a rainbow, to boot! (photo credit to Katie for this one)

More oddly-shaped pancake rocks

A blow-hole geyser

And finally, though it’s not a rock formation, isn’t this a nice family photo?

Our family at Punakaiki

Nelson

What is it about one city that makes you like it more than any other city? To some extent, the mid-sized towns we stayed in or passed through on our South Island trip were pretty interchangeable. That’s no slight to the Kiwis; I think that’s probably true of similar-sized towns in any geographical area. For some reason, though, I really liked Nelson. And I really can’t say why. There’s a river that winds through town (the Maitai), which is a plus in my book, especially when the town makes the effort to line the banks with walkways and parks instead of roads and the backs of light industrial buildings (as I too often saw in Tennessee, for example). And the weather was wonderful for the time we were there, so that may have influenced my feelings as well.

Our first choice for accommodations didn’t work out for us, but luckily we found a nice little motel by the river. Nothing fancy, but it did have a family suite (a kitchenette and two separate bedrooms, one with a queen, one with two twins), which is pretty common, even for smaller roadside motels. And a short walk down the river was a community playground for the girls. Perhaps it’d have been a bit boring for more than one day, but as it was, I left with the impression that if I were ever considering living on the south island, I could do worse than Nelson.

Along the river in Nelson

Playing on the playground

Home Again

After waking up in Nelson, we packed the car for the final time (for the south island trip) and headed out to the playground for a while. Then it was a pretty short trip to Picton, where we caught the ferry to Wellington. The weather didn’t hold up, unfortunately, and though we were able to have a picnic lunch without being rained on, by the time we were on the ferry it was pretty bad. The crew spent much of the three-hour journey handing out “just-in-case” bags, and when I didn’t have my head between my knees, I saw more than one passenger using them (not something I really wanted to see). Thankfully, we all made it through without the contingency; in fact, Ali barely noticed. (When we hit high seas on our trip back to the main island in Fiji—a much worse but shorter trip—Ali simply slept; I’m convinced that her equilibrium is better calibrated than ours somehow.)

Roadside picnic on the way to Picton