Wednesday, March 5, 2014
To break up the 10 hour bus ride back to Nelson, I decided to stay the night in Punakaiki, about halfway between. Punakaiki is famous for the Pancacke Rocks & Blowholes, which Emily and I already visited on our second road trip, but the surrounding areas were so beautiful that I did not mind returning for a bit longer. The Punakaiki Beach Hostel couldn’t have been any closer to the beach, and I was perfectly content just checking in and gazing at the ocean. Besides, I needed to rest up before Mom’s big New Zealand visit on Saturday, and I could think of no better place to take it easy than here. Punakaiki is so remote that there are no grocery stores or cell phone reception, but wow, is the coastline stunning! The sunset alone was something worth staying for. People from all over flocked to the beach around 8pm to watch the sun sink into the ocean, and tonight without a single cloud in the sky. If you have the time to spare, definitely do not overlook spending the night there.
Steph Dobson 