Punakaiki, Westport, and Hanmer Springs

We keep running behind on our blog. Though we have continuously written posts daily (YOU’RE WELCOME), we are not posting according to where we actually are. In an effort to catch up, we’re combining a few stops and towns.

PUNAKAIKI: We stopped to see the Pancake Rocks on our last trip and loved them so much that we had to stop there again:

Scenic.

Pancakes.

It’s a Scientific Mystery How The Lines of the Pancake Rocks Formed.

Some Stupid Beach Where Some Kiwis We Know Got Engaged.

WESTPORT: Not much to say about Westport. We stopped here to break up the drive, and we stayed in a hostel full of young backpackers. Hostel experiences like this remind us that we are getting older. Luckily we opted for a private room here. A pack of German bros kept talking about going to a house party, and then the word quickly spread to other cliques in the hostel. All we kept hearing was “HOUSE PARTY! HOUSE PARTY!”…no, we didn’t go to der haus party.

Hanna read and napped in our room, while Mike headed to a beach full of rocks and driftwood:

Beach.

Mike Sat on This Stump Reading His Hostel Acquisition of Russell Brand’s Booky Wook 2.

HANMER SPRINGS: On our way from the West Coast back over to Christchurch, we decided to stop in the mountain resort town of Hanmer Springs. We enjoyed seeing a new place and treated ourselves to their famous thermal pools. We spent the afternoon relaxing in pools of varying temperatures that ranged from 28-42 degrees Celsius. (You can convert that yourself, Americans. We’re feeling lazy.)

Nice Warm Pool. Nice Background, Eh?

A Really Awkward Picture of Mike in a Hot Pool Near Nature.

Super Shallow Pool. Perfect Place for Sunbathing. We Spent a Good Amount of Time Here.

Mike’s favorite pool of the day was the aquatherapy pool that was for adults only. (No, it wasn’t that seedy. Get yer mind out of the gutter.) Picture a circular pool that had jets all the way around. In the center was a hot tub that had even stronger jets. After long days of driving, the jets felt awesome on Mike’s lower back and calves:

Mike’s Favorite Pool.

Hanna enjoyed the lazy river…along with all of the other children. She held on to a foam floatie toy, while Mike held on to her ankles. Strong currents pushed us around the looping river and frequently knocked us into kids. Sorry, guys.

Hanna’s New Zealand nemesis, the sandfly (essentially a gnat that bites like a mosquito), decided to be extra vicious that day, so we didn’t stay in the pools as long as originally planned.

Pancake Rocks

Working our way up the West Coast, we made a stop at Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks). Our Kiwi friends Mike and Kylie demanded we stop. If we didn’t comply, the door would be slammed in our face when we visit them in a few weeks. We are really glad that we stopped here as nature has created a beautiful coastline.

Over the years the water has shaped some of the rocks to look like tall stacks of thin pancakes. Other rocks look like animals or human faces. The amazing New Zealand parks department has made a beautiful walkway that takes you through ever-changing vegetation on your way out to the top of the rocks. We’ve been lacking a bit on the photo side the last few days, so here we go:

Stunning.

Where's the Syrup?

Rocks and Water.

Jungle Walk.

Hanna and Mike/Mike's Jheri Curl.