We left Nelson on December 28th and drove about 2 1/2 hours to the city of Westport. Here we began the scenic West Coast with the most diverse landscape in New Zealand. From lush green forests with bright green ferns and the nikau palm to the limestone and mudstone of pancake rocks. Then on southward to Greymouth an old gold mining and coal town we passed through coastal native bush and gray sandy beaches. Our next stop was Hokitika known for a stone that is called green jade (nephrite).

From Hokitika we took Highway 6 toward the ... (more)