The West Coast

The West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand is not unlike the rugged coastline of California — in some spots I could have sworn we were driving to Big Sur on Highway 1 — with rocky beaches, cliffs falling dramatically to the ocean below, and a windy road barely wide enough at times for two small cars to pass each other.

It was on our way to this beautiful stretch of coastline that we got our first glimpse of the Southern Alps, which run along most of the length of the South Island. It is these majestic mountains that form the quintessential picture of New Zealand, and I was instantly enamored.

A quiet walk on the beach at sunset was a must for me. For all you Southern Californians who never see an empty beach, you know how rare and wonderful it is to get a huge, beautiful beach almost all to yourself!


Tauranga Bay is home to a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals (actually sea lions), a species that is only found around New Zealand and the south coast of Australia. Luckily, after populations were decimated by sealers during the 19th century, their population is stable and on the rise.


Punakaiki National Park is best known for the limestone rock formations that lie in the water off the coast and are affectionately called the Pancake Rocks. Through a way too complicated geologic process, the layers of rock have eroded into what look like thin stacks of pancakes.