The Alex & The Eleanor + 1

Friday January 4, 2008
Nelson to Punakaiki
Sunny and hot.

We check out but hang around  Nelson for a while, checking out some of the galleries that are suppose to be plentiful and fabulous. The first we find is not so great, but the second has a nice show of NZ prints. Nothing catches our eye, but we also go to the jeweler who created The Ring for Lord of the Rings. There were actually a bunch of rings, of different sizes for different parts. They have everything from a normal sized ring to a giant ring that was used for special effects. Pretty cool, in a dorky way.

We get on the road and head for the west coast and our next stop. Lunch is en route in a small little town that seems to exists only to base rafting trips, surprisingly good, in a wierd way - I got a chicken burger and there was bacon and chutney and some cheese like substance on it, though we have to get used to ‘West Coast time’ which is too say it takes 45 mins. Good thing we aren’t in a rush and can just enjoy the lovely afternoon. It’s a lovely drive, lots of beautiful scenery. We hit Punakaiki and check in to our “Eco-Villa”. No idea what the  eco means, but its nice room, with a great view of the beach. We go check our the local attraction the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks – a cool formation of rocks that create blow holes at high tide. They are pretty when they aren’t spouting though. We have dinner at the hotel and then head back to the rocks to try and catch the blow holes. We miss the blow holes but catch a truly amazing sunset.