Tag Archives: Murchison

We have a long drive up the west coast from Fox to Murchison today as we make are way towards Picton to catch the ferry back to the North Island. This is the beginning of our return journey to Auckland and our flight to Australia on 16^th March.

The west coast of the South Island stretches for 600 km from north to south and is only 70km at its widest point. Our journey covers about 470 km most of it along the coast. It is an area of contrasts with snow and glaciers in the south and palms in the north. A wild, windy coastline with deserted beaches littered with driftwood, crashing waves, windy roads and dense native forest. Around every corner, it seems, there is a photo opportunity waiting.

We have time only to make a couple of stops along the route. The first is a detour to visit Gillespies Beach recommended to us by a couple we met in Waihi Beach, what seems like an age ago. The beach car park is full of people in camper vans rough camping. We take a walk to the beach via the remains of a gold dredge that worked the land behind the beach. The beach is strewn with large pieces of driftwood and there is a wonderful view of the Fox Glacier cutting a huge gash through the mountain side.

Our second stop involves another detour to Punakaiki notable for its Pancake Rocks and blow holes. Here there is loop track along the cliffs to Dolomite Point and the limestone formations that look like layers of pancakes sitting one atop the other eroded to form huge stacks. Unfortunately we arrive between low and high tide and the blow holes aren’t throwing up the dramatic bursts of spray we’ve seen in photographs. But there are splendid views up and down the coast to compensate. We carry on up the coast and turn inland just south of Westport to make our way along the wonderfully scenic Buller River to Murchison and our overnight stop..

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