{"id":14222,"date":"2026-09-22T15:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T21:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willingtowander.com\/blog\/?p=14222"},"modified":"2026-09-22T15:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T21:52:25","slug":"road-tripping-along-new-zealands-rugged-western-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willingtowander.com\/blog\/road-tripping-along-new-zealands-rugged-western-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Road Tripping along New Zealand’s Rugged Western Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After the canceled ferry, things went pretty smoothly as we made it to the South Island and headed along the Western Coast seeing pancake rocks, glaciers and even a glimpse of Mount Cook, who’s usually pretty shy thanks to clouds. Then we spent a day visiting the most picturesque lakes in the whole country! Then we finish out the week with a trip to Paradise, ha! Come wander the South Island with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nelson and Punamu Region<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The advantage to flying over taking the ferry, is that in just 3 hours we made it all the way to Nelson with the new car. The original plan with the ferry would have taken more than 6 hours, although the views from the ferry are gorgeous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flying over the Cook Strait to the South Island.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Instead we arrived just in time to find some lunch at one of the wineries in the Marlborough region, just outside Nelson. There were interesting pizzas with local ingredients and some delicious wines for pairing. One of the wines they talked about storing in terracotta pots as part of the aging process, and on the way to find the restrooms we could a few in their wine making room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After a lovely lunch we headed to a Japanese garden. There were fun bridges and vine wrapped pergola and structures that made us feel like we were in Japan again! Then it was time to check into our hotel and relax for a little bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While checking in, I got a call from our boat ride that afternoon that the sunset happy hour was downgraded to just the normal taxi shuttle that picked up hikers from around Abel Tasman National Park. It was a little disappointing but for the first half of the ride we had the boat to ourselves and the driver took us close to places like the split apple rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We even saw the heads of a few fur seals next to one of the islands, but they were pretty shy and didn’t come out of the water very far. It is unfortunate it was so cloudy that day, the highlight of Abel Tasman NP is the bright blue waters that practically glow in the sunlight. We did a hike there last time Mr. Wander and I visited NZ and it was a beautiful day, so if you get good weather it’s well worth the visit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most of New Zealand we were able to find family rooms and suites with kitchens or kitchenettes for less than two single hotel rooms so it’s actually nicer to travel with another couple. We made dinner for us all after we returned from the boat ride and turned in. In the morning we had to wait for a tour that opened at 10am so we started with some Chinese gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were many amazing trees and cool paths paved with rocks on their side. After a bit of wandering it was time to head to our next stop: Pic’s Peanut Butter World!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When we paid for our tour we were each gifted a jar of peanut butter, we could choose between creamy, chunky, and smoochy, which is about halfway between the two. Once the tour started, there were about 40 or so of us lead upstairs to an area overlooking the production floor. There were also windows into some of the automated equipment such as the discs that grind the peanuts into peanut butter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our guide told about the history of the company, how the founder, Pic, had bought a jar of peanut butter, put it on toast, and just hated how it was so full of sugar. He tried complaining to the company but they said people preferred it that way. Disagreeing, he remembered how his mom and grandma used to make delicious peanut butter without any sugar and started making some himself. He sold it at the Nelson Market and it became so popular he had to start getting equipment to help him automate it in his garage, including this cement mixer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ready to eat my bike-ground peanut butter with the original cement mixer in the background Pic used when first expanding from his kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During our tour someone from the floor brought up a freshly finished jar, that was still warm from the grinding process, finished at the time we arrived. The workers all seemed so happy and waved at us from the floor. We had some free time to walk around and even make a bit of our own peanut butter powdered by bicycle. They also had screens showing how much power they used versus how much they put back into the grid from their solar panels on the roof of the factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the end of the tour came the best part, we not only were able to taste the fresh jar of plain, smoochy style peanut butter, but we also tried chocolate, seeded, and a salt and pepper! The last one was like a crazy explosion of flavors, but the chocolate and seeded varieties were my favorite. It had sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds just to name a few. I might have bought one if we didn’t already have 4 glass jars of peanut butter we had to somehow pack in our suitcases and get home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About an hour down the road we stopped at an old railway tunnel which has been turned into a small loop hike called Kawatiri. It wasn’t as long as some of the biking ones we’ve walked through in Wisconsin but it was still pretty fun. Another half an hour down the road brought us to Rivers Cafe in Murchison and lunchtime! It was pretty popular spot but we managed to find a table. We had, savory pies, sandwiches, and beautifully done latte art with bars to share for dessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Murchison is close to the Buller River gorge, so we stopped for a photo or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There wasn’t a great place to stop but Mr. Wander had found a listing for a “T-rex Tree” so he was ready to snap a shot on the drive. What do you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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T-Rex Tree<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was two hours from our lunch spot until we arrived at our cabin for the evening in Punakaiki. It was a great spot, right on the Tasman Sea, you can see our red car in one of the pictures below. Mr. Wander and his dad explored up the hill to the pancake rocks and a cavern to check it out. Meanwhile his mom and I enjoyed watching the waves until the sandflies drove us inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next morning after we checked out, we drove up to the top so we could all see the pancake rocks at high tide, which is one of the best times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n