Kia ora! I’ve recently returned from an incredible family trip to New Zealand’s South Island, and I’m excited to share all the incredible adventures that we had along the way. Over the next few blog posts, I’ll be diving into everything you absolutely must have on your New Zealand bucket list. Read the previous blog post here. For a bit of context: my brother lives in NZ, so my mum and I travelled over for a family holiday with him packed with hikes, swims, and endless mountain views. This trip marked my second time in this stunning country (after exploring the North Island in December 2022 with my Mum and Dad and brother), and I was beyond excited to come back. Trust me, there’s so much to see and do in New Zealand, I hope this blog helps inspire anyone looking to plan their own trip.

With only one night in Punakaiki, we knew we had to make the most of every moment.

Our journey from Arthur’s Pass took nearly three hours, so we decided to break up the drive with a morning coffee stop at Lake Brunner. Not a bad place for a coffee with a view.

When we arrived in Punakaiki, we got the walking packs on and set off to do the Pororari and Punakaiki River loop. Along the way, we made sure to squeeze in a visit to the famous Pancake Rocks at high tide.

Pororari and Punakaiki River Track

The gorge walk was, pun-intended, gorge-ous!

The loop was just over 10k, but my watch came in at 13km after adding in Pancake Rocks.

Despite the lack of mountains in sight, this quickly became one of my favourite walks. The entire gorge loop is vibrant with so many shades of green from the exotic trees and ferns, highlighted with the odd burst of red from the flowering trees growing around the limestone cliffs.

The gorge loop features two swing bridges and mostly follows the river. There were several moments when I was tempted to take a swim, but I managed to resist, saving it for the end of the walk (more on that swim later…).

The track then joins the road which you can follow into Punakaiki centre. From there, we followed the coastline and enjoyed the delights of pancake rocks.

Pancake Rocks

The photos don’t do it justice, but these rocks were incredible.

If you’re planning a visit, timing it with high tide is absolutely essential.

Watching the waves crash over the stacks of rocks, and hearing the water whistle and shoot through the blowholes, was nothing short of epic.

I managed to get some cool videos of the waves, which you can check out on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEeqP34AtqD/

We also got tourist trapped with the pancakes… you can’t not have pancakes in Pancake Rocks, right?

They were delish! Even on a hot day they went down a treat.

Now for the ‘Refreshing Swim… with a Twist’!

After finishing up the trail, we headed back to the first swing bridge, just a short walk from where we’d parked the car, and decided to take a swim—with eels!!

We were all eager to cool off with a refreshing swim, and the river felt wonderfully warm in comparison to the chilly waterfall swim in Arthur’s Pass. Rich and I dove (well he dove, I jumped) in from some nearby rocks, while Mum waded in from a little further downstream.

It was all smooth sailing… until we suddenly heard Mum scream and half swim, half run out of the water faster than we saw her move all trip!

Turns out, as she was about to put her face in the water, she came face-to-face with an eel!

From the safety of the rocks, Rich and I watched as the, minimum five foot long, eel swam back upstream and disappeared beneath the very rocks we had been jumping off. Clearly, we’d disturbed its peace… and it wasn’t alone. We saw at least two eels, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more lurking down there!

We watched them for a little while, and I couldn’t resist encouraging Rich to dip his finger in the water. Sure enough, the eel came up to investigate. Then I suggested he try putting the leg of my camera tripod in the water. The eel didn’t hesitate for long—it had a little nibble at it!

Spooked but intrigued, we stayed put, watching the eels with growing fascination. They were actually pretty cute! But… I wasn’t quite ready to share another swim with them anytime soon though!

Trueman Track

Before bed, after a delish home cooked meal at the hostel, we followed the Truman Track down to the beach to watch the most gorgeous sunset.

We stayed here for a while, enjoying the glowing sky and reflection on the sea.

A perfect way to end a beautiful day in the magical nature of Punakaiki.

Next up, we headed to Hokitika and Fox Glacier.

Stay tuned for more incredible walks and epic views.

Thanks for reading.