Greymouth - Nelson

The bus ride from Greymouth to Nelson has to be one of the highlights of any trip around the South Island. There were amazing views of the coast, with its wild swells and offshore rock formations (reminding me of the Twelve Apostles off the coast of Victoria, Australia).

We stopped at the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks for a look-see, which was pretty neat. I've been there once before, when I was the sole Kiwi on board the West Coast Express bus, so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. For the boy, it was a first timer. The rocks are like a stack of pancakes, as you'd expect from their name. (There's a Cantonese sweet which is similar-looking; its made out of a stack of thin steamed cake layers, and looks less appealing than it tastes.)

Along the way we also passed through several defunct coal-mining towns which used to contain numerous dance halls and hotels (bringing to mind all the Western movies I've ever seen) and now consist of a few farms and a pub (of course).

We're gonna have to come back this way one day, and do the caving and rafting trips. Perhaps in the summer, so we can also do some kayaking around the Sounds (I've been assured its no fun at all kayaking in cold weather unless your're both experienced and enjoy being cold).

I think last night I slept in the softest, horriblest bed ever. It would sink without any resistance whatsoever, and whenever I turned over I rolled into the slumbering boy. I hope it doesn't result in my taking the other bed in the room.