Jon Algie 
This pair of side-by-side lakes sit right next to the main road through the Hakatere Conservation Park and are well worth a look when driving through this stunning area. Lake Clearwater and Lake Camp are two of the many “Ashburton Lakes” and are surrounded by mountains. Lake Clearwater is the more scenic of the two … Read more
Located a few kilometres north of the famous Pancake Rocks, the Truman Track is a nice little walk to a couple of viewpoints and then down to one of the best beaches on the West Coast. It’s not the reason you’ll visit Punakaiki but it’s good dessert after the main course (the main course being … Read more
Having done most of the popular hikes on the road to Milford Sound we found ourselves searching for this area’s more hidden gems. That led us to the Tutoko Valley Track, which starts a short distance from Milford Sound. It isn’t one of my favourite hikes (in fact, it’s one of my least favourites!) but … Read more
The Cape Foulwind Walkway is one of the best coastal hikes on the South Island’s West Coast and is reason enough to venture north from Punakaiki (something that a lot of tourists don’t end up doing). It’s only an hour north of the famous Pancake Rocks — hopefully this post will convince you to visit. … Read more
If there’s one place in New Zealand that entices you to visit with its name alone it’s Paradise, a tiny town (OK, not really a town) close to Glenorchy, which is itself close to Queenstown. What is a trip to Paradise like? Well, there’s a scenic drive, an incredibly underrated hike and one of New … Read more
Punakaiki, with its world-famous Pancake Rocks, is one of the best spots to spend a day or two on the West Coast. The coastline is pretty special, but head inland a little and you’ll see one of New Zealand’s most spectacular stretches of river. It’s quite unlike anything else I’ve seen in New Zealand and … Read more
New Zealand has glaciers, but they aren’t quite what you may be expecting. Instead of the crisp blue slabs of ice seen elsewhere in the world the glaciers in New Zealand tend to be small, far away and covered in a layer of grey sediment. The walks to see these glaciers are great though — … Read more
If you like awesome coastal views and rocks stacked like pancakes, you’d better add Punakaiki to your New Zealand itinerary. This small town on the West Coast is home to the surreal Pancake Rocks, a group of weathered rocks sitting by (and sometimes in) the Tasman Sea. It’s a unique piece of nature and has … Read more
The milky blue waters of the Hokitika Gorge draw plenty of travellers traversing the West Coast region of New Zealand. It’s a nice place to explore and the walk is short and easy — keep reading for all you need to know about visiting Hokitika Gorge! Walking the Hokitika Gorge Track If you’re planning a … Read more
When researching the Gertrude Saddle Track the thing that stood out was how difficult and dangerous the hike would be. People have died doing this hike and DOC have classified it as an “expert track”. I’m not an expert at anything, so I was a bit apprehensive. It turns out if you hike it on … Read more