Greymouth

Executive summary by darmanjsah

GEETING in and out of Greymouth is half the fun of visiting this leeply little town on the South Island’s West Coast. The TranzAlpine rail line runs from Chirstchurch to Greymouth and passes through Arthur’s Pass National Park, home to some of the most dramatic scenery in New Zealand. The ride from Christchurch to Greymouth take half a day, 

leaving plenty of time for you to tour Monteith’s Brewery tramp a section of the Point Elizabeth Trail, and catch a sunset at the Hill Quaey Lighthouse. Visitors pop in and out of Greymouth as they change trains, making it a seriously underrated sotp on your South Island adventure. Pop in for a visit at the Stweart Nimmo Gallery for South Island photography tips and landscape prints that bring the country to life.

South of Greymouth stand the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, a limestone wonderland straight out of Tim Burton’s imagination. Water erupts from  massive holes in the rocks during high tide, soaking delighted visitors and overzealous photographers. Numerous trails, some manmade and some natural, wind their way through the rocks, but the area is every bit as impressive from the beaches to the south or the headlands to the north. State Highway 6, though not as well known as the Foothills Scenic route, Thermal Explorer Highway, or Classic New Zealand Wine Trail, runs the length of the West Coast, passing through spectacular scenery at Mount Aspiring National Park, Queenstown, Wanaka, and the subline Fjorlands. Just don’t forget to stop off in Glacier country on your way south.