Day 5
Distance traveled: 142km
Arthur's Pass to Punakaiki Journey
Today, we were headed to Punakaiki, famous for its Pancake Rocks attaction. We would stop midway at Greymouth for a grocery resupply.
Road Tip 1
On the way to Greymouth, I made the mistake of a novice driver on NZ roads. There was a slow car in front so obviously, I wanted to overtake the bullock cart. I do not think I underestimated the speed of the car in front, but I did not consider the curve a few hundred metres ahead. So I initiated acceleration, was side by side with the car ahead and then around the curve popped out an oncoming car. I immediately slowed down to dart behind the car I was overtaking but it also slowed down too! Thankfully, the oncoming car had the cow sense to reduce speed and I safely slipped back to my original position. This was a lesson to me and I vowed not to take silly risks like this.
Road Tip 2
When we were closing in on Kumara, an oncoming car flashed its headlights at our car. Now in Singapore, if a car is behind you and does that, it means 'Get the hell out of our way, pedestrian'. So in NZ, we decided to be cautious and to follow the road signs (not that we weren't already doing so :) 'cos we did not know what this flashing meant. On we went into the town and voila, a police car was stationed at the side, keeping the peace and the road speed as it should. Lesson here is just be aware of your surroundings and return the favor if you can.
We finally hit Greymouth and drove straight to restock at Countdown. It took us an hour and since it was already 2.20PM, we decided to make haste and head to our accommodation at Punakaiki which was an hours' drive away.
Te Nikau Retreat (Accommodation)We finally checked into Te Nikau Retreat, Punakaiki (my review here) at around 3.30PM. It certainly did not look like a motel at all. To put things in perspective, when booking our multiple NZ accommodations for the trip, it was a matter of checking out what was available, was there a decent review and boom, I booked. Our cottage was close to the road so we dumped our things out, had a quick lunch and off we went to explore.
Truman Track (Place to visit - Free)
The Truman Track was the closest attraction to us and so we went to explore. To be honest, we didn't know what to expect but since it's the 2nd best attraction in Punakaiki, according to TripAdvisor, we decided to go for it. It took a 25 minute trek through the forest trail. It could have been 15 minutes if not for our two babies taking their time to step in the mud and explore the puddles. When it opened up to the sea, that's where you appreciate the beauty of the place. Atop a cliff, there's a stairs (natural and man-made) that allows you to step onto the pebbled beach below. It was a good place to basically relax and run around. There was absolutely no one around 'cos it was drizzling and it was pretty close to 6PM already. T'was a simply wonderful place to chill and relax. It would have been better if we had a few beers on hand.
Day 6
A few of my wife's friends joined us today and it is always great to have company. They had actually touched down the previous day in Christchurch and were intending to head to Kaikoura. Due to the incredibly bad timing, they obviously had to make a detour as their subsequent stop was all the way north in Blenheim. On hindsight, it was actually very fortunate they arrived just after the Earthquake. If they had come a single day earlier, they would have been stuck in Kaikoura and would have needed a heli-evacuation out of the town. Anyway, their big detour was to head all the way to the west coast where they joined us to hang out at the Pancake Rocks.
Pancake Rocks (Place to visit - Free)
They are the biggest attraction in Punakaiki without the shadow of a doubt. And it is well worth the visit. They are basically rocks that have been eroded by the waves over time and creating a dramatic landscape complete with blowholes. The blowholes tend to be seen only during high tide and create a high pressured release spray. My kids were initially eager to take a check these out until they realized it was a little too loud for their comfort.
Punakaiki Tavern (Restaurant)
We had lunch at the Punakaiki Tavern. As there were 6 of us folks, we got a big table right at the back. We ordered some pizzas, salads and Speight's beer on the tap. The food was so-so but I'd say it's more a beer place. Thank goodness they provided some toys in a box to entertain the babies.
The two blokes with us headed off after lunch as they were heading on a power drive to Blenheim (that's like 4 hours!). As for us, we went back to chill at the beach at the end of Truman Track as we had plenty of time and we wanted to spend it in a relaxing way.
Day 7
We decided to be a bit more adventurous today so we initially wanted to head to 3 attractions. We started off at the...
Punakaiki Cavern (Place to Visit - Free)
This was the first cave of our visit and it was quite exciting to go inside. For starters, we had to park at a very narrow stretch of road where the waves were crashing in. We then had to walk up a hill a little and then cross it. We then had to navigate our way through some mud and walk up some stairs before hitting the pitch black caverns. Thankfully, we had our phones so we turned them all to flashlight mode to move around. Even then, we had to tread carefully, ducking under low overhangs and climbing up and down. There's even a small stream in the cave. To make the place a little more accessible to tourists, there were a few reflective markers added inside. My kids surprisingly had great fun and were squealing in delight though my girl was apprehensive initially.
Pancake Rocks Cafe (Restaurant)
We wanted to head to the Pororari River Track for a walk but just as we began, it started to rain yet again. As it was around 1.30PM, we did a stomach check and went for lunch instead. We were lucky to get a cozy spot at the Pancake Rocks Cafe as it's located just opposite the Pancake Rocks attraction (meaning tons of tourists). We ordered a Hawaiian pizza and a Berries & Cream pancake stack. The food was great and we were glad to sample the food here on our last day in Punakaiki.
McMillan Road Beach (Place to Visit - Free)
We wanted to check out some of the sandy beaches. The one at the Truman Track was the kind with pebbles. So we ventured out to a spot where a guy at the Te Nikau reception recommended. Initially, we thought we lost our way but we got the right turning and lo and behold, a wonderful black sandy beach, with almost no tourists! We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying ourselves as there was some sun and it was a wide open space where the babies could frolick around.
 |
| Punakaiki - Truman Track |
Arthur's Pass to Punakaiki Journey
Today, we were headed to Punakaiki, famous for its Pancake Rocks attaction. We would stop midway at Greymouth for a grocery resupply.
Road Tip 1
On the way to Greymouth, I made the mistake of a novice driver on NZ roads. There was a slow car in front so obviously, I wanted to overtake the bullock cart. I do not think I underestimated the speed of the car in front, but I did not consider the curve a few hundred metres ahead. So I initiated acceleration, was side by side with the car ahead and then around the curve popped out an oncoming car. I immediately slowed down to dart behind the car I was overtaking but it also slowed down too! Thankfully, the oncoming car had the cow sense to reduce speed and I safely slipped back to my original position. This was a lesson to me and I vowed not to take silly risks like this.
Road Tip 2
When we were closing in on Kumara, an oncoming car flashed its headlights at our car. Now in Singapore, if a car is behind you and does that, it means 'Get the hell out of our way, pedestrian'. So in NZ, we decided to be cautious and to follow the road signs (not that we weren't already doing so :) 'cos we did not know what this flashing meant. On we went into the town and voila, a police car was stationed at the side, keeping the peace and the road speed as it should. Lesson here is just be aware of your surroundings and return the favor if you can.
We finally hit Greymouth and drove straight to restock at Countdown. It took us an hour and since it was already 2.20PM, we decided to make haste and head to our accommodation at Punakaiki which was an hours' drive away.
Te Nikau Retreat (Accommodation)We finally checked into Te Nikau Retreat, Punakaiki (my review here) at around 3.30PM. It certainly did not look like a motel at all. To put things in perspective, when booking our multiple NZ accommodations for the trip, it was a matter of checking out what was available, was there a decent review and boom, I booked. Our cottage was close to the road so we dumped our things out, had a quick lunch and off we went to explore.
Truman Track (Place to visit - Free)
The Truman Track was the closest attraction to us and so we went to explore. To be honest, we didn't know what to expect but since it's the 2nd best attraction in Punakaiki, according to TripAdvisor, we decided to go for it. It took a 25 minute trek through the forest trail. It could have been 15 minutes if not for our two babies taking their time to step in the mud and explore the puddles. When it opened up to the sea, that's where you appreciate the beauty of the place. Atop a cliff, there's a stairs (natural and man-made) that allows you to step onto the pebbled beach below. It was a good place to basically relax and run around. There was absolutely no one around 'cos it was drizzling and it was pretty close to 6PM already. T'was a simply wonderful place to chill and relax. It would have been better if we had a few beers on hand.
Day 6
A few of my wife's friends joined us today and it is always great to have company. They had actually touched down the previous day in Christchurch and were intending to head to Kaikoura. Due to the incredibly bad timing, they obviously had to make a detour as their subsequent stop was all the way north in Blenheim. On hindsight, it was actually very fortunate they arrived just after the Earthquake. If they had come a single day earlier, they would have been stuck in Kaikoura and would have needed a heli-evacuation out of the town. Anyway, their big detour was to head all the way to the west coast where they joined us to hang out at the Pancake Rocks.
Pancake Rocks (Place to visit - Free)
They are the biggest attraction in Punakaiki without the shadow of a doubt. And it is well worth the visit. They are basically rocks that have been eroded by the waves over time and creating a dramatic landscape complete with blowholes. The blowholes tend to be seen only during high tide and create a high pressured release spray. My kids were initially eager to take a check these out until they realized it was a little too loud for their comfort.
Punakaiki Tavern (Restaurant)
We had lunch at the Punakaiki Tavern. As there were 6 of us folks, we got a big table right at the back. We ordered some pizzas, salads and Speight's beer on the tap. The food was so-so but I'd say it's more a beer place. Thank goodness they provided some toys in a box to entertain the babies.
The two blokes with us headed off after lunch as they were heading on a power drive to Blenheim (that's like 4 hours!). As for us, we went back to chill at the beach at the end of Truman Track as we had plenty of time and we wanted to spend it in a relaxing way.
Day 7
We decided to be a bit more adventurous today so we initially wanted to head to 3 attractions. We started off at the...
Punakaiki Cavern (Place to Visit - Free)
This was the first cave of our visit and it was quite exciting to go inside. For starters, we had to park at a very narrow stretch of road where the waves were crashing in. We then had to walk up a hill a little and then cross it. We then had to navigate our way through some mud and walk up some stairs before hitting the pitch black caverns. Thankfully, we had our phones so we turned them all to flashlight mode to move around. Even then, we had to tread carefully, ducking under low overhangs and climbing up and down. There's even a small stream in the cave. To make the place a little more accessible to tourists, there were a few reflective markers added inside. My kids surprisingly had great fun and were squealing in delight though my girl was apprehensive initially.
Pancake Rocks Cafe (Restaurant)
We wanted to head to the Pororari River Track for a walk but just as we began, it started to rain yet again. As it was around 1.30PM, we did a stomach check and went for lunch instead. We were lucky to get a cozy spot at the Pancake Rocks Cafe as it's located just opposite the Pancake Rocks attraction (meaning tons of tourists). We ordered a Hawaiian pizza and a Berries & Cream pancake stack. The food was great and we were glad to sample the food here on our last day in Punakaiki.
McMillan Road Beach (Place to Visit - Free)
We wanted to check out some of the sandy beaches. The one at the Truman Track was the kind with pebbles. So we ventured out to a spot where a guy at the Te Nikau reception recommended. Initially, we thought we lost our way but we got the right turning and lo and behold, a wonderful black sandy beach, with almost no tourists! We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying ourselves as there was some sun and it was a wide open space where the babies could frolick around.
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