02.03.24 New Zealand: Punakaiki (Pancake and Elephant Rocks)

Still pretty worn out from Abel Tasman, we decided to split the drive in two and stop over in Tarwera for a night before visiting Punakaiki. The owner was lovely, but definitely one of the more rogue places we’ve stayed. A bunch of alcoholics, 3 massive bulldogs, a goat (on a lead) and a naked bloke walk into a bar…

Anyway, Pancake Rocks was really scenic and we camped right on the beach with vertical cliff faces behind us. The weather had taken quite the turn at this point so for the first 24 hours it was hammering down. With all four Crocs in sport mode, we headed up to the Pancake and Elephant Rocks. The rocks didn’t resemble pancakes or elephants as much as Grace would’ve liked, but the blowholes were really impressive and the ocean was so rough (the best conditions to visit in presumably?). The one downside to this region on the West coast was the sandflies. We’d been warned countless times by books and Kiwis (not the fruit), but nevertheless we got peppered with bites.

When the rain finally took a day off, we did the 12km Punakaiki – Pororari river loop. It was drizzly and humid which meant we were swapping layers like there was no tomorrow – one minute it was a sports top and the next it was a rain coat. We only saw 2 people over the few hours of walking, despite it being a Saturday and signs telling us it was a popular walking and biking route. Classic quiet NZ… We crawled back up the hill to the cafe at the end which predominantly sold pancakes. I was obviously keen because I have a fat soul, but Grace wasn’t buying into the capitalism and we had a sub-par white choc and blueberry muffin. We didn’t succumb and had a celebratory coffee, made pretty quick by the masses of sandflies. Now we’re on the South Island, the drives are much further between stops. Phone in hand and feet on dash, we set off on the 3.5hr spins toward Franz Josef.