The West Coast - NZ Part II

Traveling south from Kaiteriteri, we joined the scenic Highway 6 along the West Coast. It was a long driving day but we made it to Punakaiki where we spent a rather rainy night. In the morning, we braved the rain and walked out to see the Punakaiki ‘pancake’ rocks – limestone formations that have eroded into what looks like stacks of pancakes. We were soaked by the time we returned to the RV. We continued on to Hokitika where we had lunch and checked out a glass blowing factory, jade shop, and sock museum (yes, for real?!). We stocked up on groceries and continued driving south to Franz Josef Glacier. The glacier was lovely and it made me miss Canada. So much of New Zealand reminds me of Canada (but packed into a much smaller area). We hiked along the terminal moraine until the clouds came in and the rain started again. We continued on for another 25 km and camped at Fox Glacier Village. The Fox Glacier campsite was luxurious. The kids had a nice bath and we even got some laundry done. To Adelina and Caleb’s enjoyment, the playground was top notch and even included a trampoline. We checked out the Fox Glacier in the morning, hiking until we could go no further. Caleb fell asleep in the backpack carrier on our return (good news for longer hikes that we have planned next month). We hit the road towards the small town of Haast where we stopped for a snack (the best carrot cake ever) and then went over the Haast pass and along Wanaka Lake (a stunning drive) until arriving at the lovely little town of Wanaka. Wanaka was a pleasant surprise – a pleasant town with lots of green space in the middle of mountains, located on a lake. Caleb took about six steps on his own as well. He has been walking (while holding one hand) much more and has started braving a few steps on his own. The only disappointment at Wanaka was the Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park, which apparently had not been renovated since the 70s. In fact, the playground (if you could call it that) looked more dangerous than fun. It was definitely not as impressive as our previous night’s accommodation. After overnighting in Wanaka, we were back in the RV - destined for a lunch stop at Arrowtown before getting in to Queenstown, NZ’s adventure capital.

Sunset on the West Coast of New Zealand.

Either the hike was too long or Fox Glacier (in the background) was not exciting enough for little Caleb?

BBQ at Wanaka.