We took the SH63 back to the SH6 and stopped off at the Buller Gorge near to Murchison.Here they have the longest swingbridge in New Zealand, or you can pay more to zip wire across the gorge.As we had recently done the Gibbon Experience, with zip wires 4 times longer than this one and much higher, we did not bother to do it.To be honest the swingbridge itself was quite exciting, and not for those afraid of heights as there was a lot of movement as you walked across it.We then took the loop walk which took us past the area where you can pan for gold and through an earthquake faultline, which we stood in.

We continued along the SH6 to Punakaiki, stopping a few times to take photo's as the views were amazing. We had been recommended to take this coastal road and we're so glad we did.We could have stopped every few minutes to take pictures!It was cold outside, but the skies were clear and the sun was shining brightly.We camped at Punakaiki Beach Camp, which was right next to the beach, so we walked down there for sunset.We were the only ones on the huge beach, except for the birds, and the waves were fantastic.Too bad the sea is so cold, or we would have gone in.

The next morning we drove just down the road to see the Pancake Rocks and blowholes.It's amazing how many natural wonderful sites there are in New Zealand.These have been used in many adverts and in the series 'Walking with Dinosaurs' apparently.The Pancake Rocks are so called because they look like stacks of pancakes and we stood for ages watching the blowhole called the 'Chimney Pot' as the water shot up the hole and created a spray effect through the top.

We continued down the SH6 and stopped a couple of times to take photos.First we stopped at Lake Lanthe, then at Lake Mapourika.Both were absolutely breathtaking, with clear, still expanses of water and not a soul around.The reality of an island bigger than England with only 1 million people living on it has only really just dawned on me.Our road map is one piece of paper, as there are no motorways or even dual carriageways here, and most towns consist of one or two streets, so Sat Nav is definitely not needed!Today we saw less than 10 other vehicles on the road and we travelled for nearly 200 kilometres on a main highway.Coming from England, that is really difficult to comprehend.

We arrived at Franz Josef Village early this afternoon and are staying at the Rainforest Holiday Park.For anyone who's coming here, don't pay for the WiFi, you can hook on to next door's for free!Going to walk on the Franz Josef glacier tomorrow, so the next blog will be coming soon.....

Maggie x