Pancakes! As You've Never Seen Them Before

Hitchhiking had served me well on the journey up to Nelson, but I decided to take the bus on the return. I had my reasons for returning to Arthur's Pass somewhat early, and the bus followed a different route than the one I had taken up. And as I've learned in this country (especially on the South Island), every route is a scenic one.

We made our first stop in Murchison, and from there entered the Buller gorge. As we drove, we would occasionally stop for traffic signals, which seemed odd as there were no possible turns. Then it became apparent that the signals were controlling traffic along stretches of single-lane road, particularly at blind curves along the cliff base. I've grown accustomed to seeing single-lane bridges on the South Island, but this was something else again.

After passing through the mountains, we reached Westport and began heading down the west coast. The road from Haast to Greymouth rarely comes close to the Tasman Sea, so I was expecting something similar from the stretch north of Greymouth. Instead, I was rewarded with a stunning piece of highway. The road came so close to the water that I was thankful I was in a vehicle driven by a professional. We winded and twisted our way along the water until we reached Punakaiki, where we stopped for a second break.

Punakaiki, like Franz Josef and Fox, is a town built on the success of a single tourist attraction - the pancake rocks. These are limestone formations along the water that have eroded into a variety of aesthetically pleasing shapes, and simultaneously formed blow holes that channel the force of waves straight up into the air. I had heard of this spot, but never planned on going out of my way to see it. Now I'm glad I put it in my way. I'll let the photos below explain why.

Before long I was back in Greymouth, hopping on the bus back to Arthur's Pass. For a three-day weekend, I was quite happy with what I had managed to achieve.